Foulds, Charlotte (2024). Anxiety, treatment efficacy, and theory of mind. University of Birmingham. Clin.Psy.D.
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Abstract
Introduction There is a high prevalence of anxiety in autistic people. Psychological interventions are recommended as first-line treatment. Adaptations to existing treatments are recommended for autistic people. The current study aimed to answer two questions: 1) are psychological interventions for anxiety in autistic adults effective, and 2) what factors are associated with good treatment outcomes. Method Embase, PsycINFO, Medline, and PubMed were searched in May 2023 for studies that reported treatment outcomes for psychological interventions on anxiety in autistic adults. A meta-analysis of RCTs was carried out to assess for treatment efficacy. Subgroup analyses of change scores for all treatment effects, including pre-post studies, were performed to investigate any factors that may improve treatment efficacy. Results Nineteen studies met eligibility criteria. An omnibus test of nine RCTs found a small treatment effect size, d = -.27 (95% CI [-.45, -.09]), with low heterogeneity (I2 = 13%). Subgroup analyses of treatment change scores found no significant differences between intervention type and sustained outcomes at three-month follow up. Conclusion Psychological interventions, particularly mindfulness and cognitive/behavioural interventions, have the potential to be effective for treating anxiety in autistic adults. Findings showed that interventions are less effective for autistic adults than for neurotypical adults but are similar to the findings for autistic children. More RCTs are needed, including with consideration to individual over group interventions. A wider range of appropriately adapted interventions should be offered and researched.
| Type of Work: | Thesis (Doctorates > Clin.Psy.D.) | |||||||||
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| Award Type: | Doctorates > Clin.Psy.D. | |||||||||
| Supervisor(s): |
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| Licence: | All rights reserved | |||||||||
| College/Faculty: | Colleges > College of Life & Environmental Sciences | |||||||||
| School or Department: | School of Psychology | |||||||||
| Funders: | None/not applicable | |||||||||
| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology | |||||||||
| URI: | http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/15360 |
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