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Brain Sciences
Special Issues
Exploring the Mental Health of People with Autism
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Exploring the Mental Health of People with Autism

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Neuropsychology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 September 2024) | Viewed by 2750

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Domingo Garcia-Villamisar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Personality, Evaluation and Clinical Psychology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: psychopathology; transdiagnosis; dimensional classification; comorbidity; autism
Dr. María Álvarez-Couto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Faculty of Education, Unit of Personality, Evaluation and Clinical Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: autism; intellectual disabilities; challenging behaviors; comorbidity; transdiagnosis
Dr. Gema Pilar Saez Suanes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Department of Educational and Developmental Psychology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28023 Madrid, Spain
Interests: autism; internalizing disorders; adulthood; intellectual disabilities; transdiagnosis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue seeks to shed light on the complexities of mental health in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), providing a platform for the presentation of innovative research and novel perspectives.

The included articles (revision of literature, empirical, meta-analyses) will tackle various dimensions of mental health and comorbidity (anxiety, depression, stress, ADHD, challenging behaviors) in the context of autism, ranging from the identification and evaluation of common issues across different life stages to effective interventions and specialized care models. The aim is to offer insight and updates across the spectrum, making it interesting to encompass different realities, from individuals with ASD and intellectual disabilities to those with high abilities and even the broad autism phenotype.

The intersections between mental health and other aspects of the lives of individuals with autism are explored, such as the quality of life, social inclusion and family experiences in the diverse realities of people with ASD. The importance of inclusive and culturally sensitive approaches to understand and address mental health in this population is emphasized. This Special Issue aims to serve as a comprehensive resource for researchers, healthcare professionals and educators, providing valuable insights and practical guidance to enhance the quality of life and emotional well-being of individuals with autism.

Dr. Domingo Garcia-Villamisar
Guest Editor

Dr. María Álvarez-Couto
Dr. Gema Pilar Saez Suanes
Guest Editor Assistants

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mental health
  • autism
  • internalizing psychopathology
  • externalizing psychopathology
  • comorbidity

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1044 KiB  
Article
Relationships between Anxiety, Repetitive Behavior and Parenting Stress: A Comparative Study between Individuals with Autism from Spain and Colombia
by Tíscar Rodríguez-Jiménez and Agustín E. Martínez-González
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(9), 910; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14090910 - 9 Sep 2024
Viewed by 496
Abstract
The present study analyzed the association between anxiety, repetitive behavior and parental stress in individuals with autism from Spain (n = 60, mean age = 8.52, SD = 4.41) and Colombia (n = 58, mean age = 10.29, SD = 4.98). [...] Read more.
The present study analyzed the association between anxiety, repetitive behavior and parental stress in individuals with autism from Spain (n = 60, mean age = 8.52, SD = 4.41) and Colombia (n = 58, mean age = 10.29, SD = 4.98). Similarly, differences in anxiety, repetitive behavior and parental stress between both countries were analyzed. Outcomes revealed a strong relationship between anxiety and repetitive behavior in both populations. Furthermore, moderate positive associations were observed between anxiety, repetitive behavior and parental stress in the Spanish sample. However, parental stress was found to be moderately and negatively related with anxiety and repetitive behavior in the Colombian sample. Finally, no differences were found in anxiety and repetitive behavior between countries, but differences did emerge for parental stress which was found to be higher in the Colombian sample. In conclusion, differences in parental stress may be due to regional differences in socio-health resources, socio-economics, parenting styles, etc. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Mental Health of People with Autism)
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12 pages, 250 KiB  
Article
The Association between Attention-Deficit–Hyperactivity Disorder and Autistic Traits with Psychotic-like Experiences in Sample of Youths Who Were Referred to a Psychiatric Outpatient Service
by Laura Fusar-Poli, Chiara Avanzato, Giuliana Maccarone, Elide Di Martino, Gabriele Avincola, Stefania Grasso, Giovanni Rapisarda, Francesco Guarnieri and Maria Salvina Signorelli
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(8), 844; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14080844 - 22 Aug 2024
Viewed by 620
Abstract
The aim of this study is to identify autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) traits in adolescents who experience psychotic-like experiences (PLEs), often ignored in clinical practice but widely prevalent in the general population. A total of 57 adolescents and young [...] Read more.
The aim of this study is to identify autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) traits in adolescents who experience psychotic-like experiences (PLEs), often ignored in clinical practice but widely prevalent in the general population. A total of 57 adolescents and young adults (aged between 16 and 24 years old) were recruited consecutively in the outpatient services. A total of 37 were females (64.9%), 18 were males (31.6%), and two participants (3.5%) were non-binary or gender non-conforming, with a mean age at referral of 18.26 ± 2.06. To investigate these symptoms, three sets of standardized questionnaires were used, as follows: the Autism Spectrum Quotient–short form (AQ-10), the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE-42), and the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS). We found significant associations between the ASRS and AQ-10 total scores and all CAPE scales. The model which explained the highest variance was CAPE Score’s Total Frequency score (p < 0.001). Our findings underline the importance of investigating the presence of subthreshold ASD and ADHD symptoms in clinical populations, particularly in the period of adolescence and young adulthood, to promptly identify the presence of PLEs and, thus, prevent the onset of a frank psychotic disorder, particularly in the presence of a comorbid psychopathological condition, leading to better diagnosis and treatment for individuals with two or more of these conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Mental Health of People with Autism)
15 pages, 1095 KiB  
Article
School Participation Questionnaire (SPQ): Italian Translation, Cultural Adaptation, and Pilot Testing in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders
by Giorgia Pietragalla, Giovanni Galeoto, Marco Moresi, Martina Ruffini, Rachele Simeon, Francescaroberta Panuccio, Donatella Valente and Anna Berardi
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(7), 644; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14070644 - 26 Jun 2024
Viewed by 956
Abstract
Introduction: According to leading occupational therapy models, the environment appears to be a key element in fostering occupational performance and participation. There is an emerging need to identify an instrument that can assess these aspects in the school environment. Currently, there are no [...] Read more.
Introduction: According to leading occupational therapy models, the environment appears to be a key element in fostering occupational performance and participation. There is an emerging need to identify an instrument that can assess these aspects in the school environment. Currently, there are no rating scales in Italy for the school participation of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. For this reason, this study aims to culturally adapt and translate the School Participation Questionnaire (SPQ) to Italian and to pilot test the translated Italian version on children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Methods: The original scale was translated from English to Italian using the guidelines “Translation and Cultural Adaptation of Patient Reported Outcomes Measures—Principles of Good Practice”. The psychometric properties analyzed were the following: content validity, construct validity, cross-cultural validity, and internal consistency. Construct validity was assessed using the Italian version of the Sensory Processing Measure (SPM). Results: The Italian version of the SPQ was administered to 22 children. The mean ± SD of the score was 9.32 ± 1.36; Cronbach’s α was 0.935 (p < 0.01). The Pearson’s correlation coefficient with the SPM scores was −0.622 (p < 0.01). Conclusions: This pilot testing study for the validation of the Italian version of the SPQ showed good validity and reliability results. Thanks to this study, it would be possible to further analyze the tool for the evaluation of the environment and school participation of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, in particular autism spectrum disorder. It is a quick and easy instrument that focuses on the environment as an active variable in the child’s occupational performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Mental Health of People with Autism)
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