Life experiences of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Traumatic life events and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders
IRAS ID
214155
Contact name
Freya Rumball
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 28 days
Research summary
Why?
This questionnaire study will look at what factors may put people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at risk of developing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or other mental health difficulties if they experience a traumatic life event. This study will also ask people with ASD about the types of things they find traumatic, to see if these are the same, or different, to the types of things people in the general public find traumatic. It is very important to get an accurate idea of the types of events which are experienced as traumatic by individuals with ASD, and the factors which may lead to the development of PTSD symptoms, so that clinicians can appropriately screen for such conditions and provide treatments.What?
This study will investigate the development of mental health difficulties following traumatic life events for adults with ASD.Who?
Participants will include individuals over the age of 18 with a diagnosis of ASD. A total of 60-80 individuals will be included in this study.Where?
Participants will be recruited from across a number of NHS outpatient services within the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, from advertisements and participant recruitment databases. As service users may live far away from the university and individuals with ASD can find travelling stressful and anxiety provoking, this study can be completed online on the computer at home, by post or in person, depending on the preference of the service user, so as to best meet the needs of this patient group.How?
The study will take between 60-90 minutes and will involve completion of a number of self-report questionnaires about the individual’s experiences of, and reactions to, traumatic life events; as well as a number of questionnaires assessing general emotional, behavioural and cognitive factors which previous studies have shown to be linked to a risk of PTSD development after experiencing a trauma. Participants who screen positive for any current mental health difficulties will receive relevant information about support and services.REC name
London - City & East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/0337
Date of REC Opinion
7 Apr 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion