Autism Social Identity Group Intervention
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding me, Understanding Autism: Developing a Psychological Intervention to Explore Social Identity in Autistic Adolescents: A Co-design Acceptability and Feasibility Study
IRAS ID
333067
Contact name
Matthew Hollocks
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Kings Collge London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 30 days
Research summary
Autistic individuals are at greater risk of experiencing mental health difficulties, with onset typically occurring in adolescence. Evidence suggests that holding a positive view of the self is linked with increased wellbeing. This suggests a need to consider how to facilitate the development of a positive identity in young people. This project is important as it aims to contribute to the understanding of how autistic young people view themselves and understand autism.
The project aims to test the acceptability of a group intervention for autistic adolescents. Participants will undergo 6 weekly group sessions and the study will be conducted at an outpatient NHS site. The primary research question is to consider whether a group intervention exploring identity processes is acceptable to autistic young people and if this is feasible to deliver. A 6-week group will be offered to autistic young people under the care of a child and adolescent mental health service. The group will be designed in collaboration with autistic young people to shape how the group should run and topics to cover. Autistic young people aged 13-16 years of age will be recruited to attend the group a. The facilitators of the group will collect feedback from the young people who attend the group and gather information about how they see themselves and autism. Two sessions will be offered to the parent/carer(s) of the young people, with feedback about how parent/carer(s) found these sessions collected. If the outcome of the study suggests that this group was found to be meaningful by autistic young people and their parent/carer(s) it could be used to help design future groups.
REC name
London - City & East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/LO/0202
Date of REC Opinion
14 Mar 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion