Mood and repetitive thought in ASC
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Association between mood and the quality and quantity of repetitive thought in those with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC).
IRAS ID
305011
Contact name
Rhiannon McMah
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Exeter
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 24 days
Research summary
There is an increased prevalence of depression within those with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC).Those with ASC also typically experience an increased amount of repetitive thought. Within the neurotypical population (NTP), those who engage in a heightened amount of repetitive thought are at risk of developing and continuing to experience depression. Emerging evidence has found that within the NTP, the type of processing a person uses whilst repetitively thinking can affect the outcome on mood of said thought. However, no research has been carried out with those with ASC and therefore it is not clear if these findings hold within this population. This is important to know for the development of interventions for this population.
Participants will be adults with a confirmed diagnosis of ASC, recruited from NHS services and local support groups. Control participants will also be used for comparison. These will be adults who do not have a diagnosis of ASC and do not score highly on ASC screening tools. They will be recruited from the student population and local community and will be matched as closely as possible for age and gender.
The study will take place remotely. Participants will meet with the researcher for a briefing and then will download an app to their mobile phone. This app will send prompts for answers questions regarding repetitive thought and mood 8 times a day for a total of 7 days. Following this participant will meet with the researcher for a virtual debrief.REC name
Wales REC 7
REC reference
22/WA/0109
Date of REC Opinion
3 May 2022
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion