Autistic Adults' Experience of Social Trauma
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Autistic Adults' Experience of Social Trauma: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis
IRAS ID
322252
Contact name
Caitlin Green
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of East Anglia
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 29 days
Research summary
Summary of Research
The aim of this study is to investigate how autistic individuals make sense of adverse social events, which can have a lasting negative effect and are known as 'social trauma'. Previous research has suggested that traits such as sensory sensitivity, social awareness, and cognitive processing may influence how events are interpreted. However, there is a lack of research directly exploring how autistic adults make sense of socially traumatic events. Furthermore, receiving a diagnosis in adulthood provides an opportunity for individuals to make sense of past events differently and re-evaluate their self-identity in a more positive way. However, it remains unknown whether having an autism diagnosis in adulthood impacts on their interpretations. This study will recruit participants over the age of 18, from a local Autism NHS service, who have received an autism diagnosis at least three months prior, and will use individual semi-structured interviews to collect data on their lived experiences. Interviews will be analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. It is hoped that this study will develop a greater understanding of the experiences of people with Autism and socially traumatic experiences.Summary of Results
Certain social experiences can be difficult or even traumatic to autistic adults. There is a lack of research asking their lived experiences. This study aimed to explore how they make sense of socially traumatic events. It recruited 6 autistic adults from an adult autism diagnostic service in the NHS. All participants received their diagnosis in adulthood. They discussed their experiences in a semi-structured interview. The researcher analysed the interviews using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and found four themes: (1) experiencing social trauma, (2) making sense of socially traumatic experiences, (3) how I manage social trauma, (4) re-examining social trauma with a new lens. Participants described experiences of rejection, exclusion, and humiliation as socially traumatic. Receiving a late diagnosis helped them to consider the role of autistic traits in these experiences and foster self-compassion.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Sheffield Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/YH/0143
Date of REC Opinion
7 Jul 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion