Sleep determines quality of life in autistic adults: A longitudinal study

Many individuals with autism report generally low quality of life (QoL). Identifying predictors for pathways underlying this outcome is an urgent priority. We aim to examine multivariate patterns that predict later subjective and objective QoL in autistic individuals. Autistic characteristics, comorbid complaints, aspects of daily functioning, and demographics were assessed online in a 2-year longitudinal study with 598 autistic adults. Regression trees were fitted to baseline data to identify factors that could predict QoL at follow-up. We found that sleep problems are an important predictor of later subjective QoL, while the subjective experience of a person's societal contribution is important when it comes to predicting the level of daily activities. Sleep problems are the most important predictor of QoL in autistic adults and may offer an important treatment target for improving QoL. Our results additionally suggest that social satisfaction can buffer this association. Autism Research 2019, 12: 794-801. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Many individuals with autism report generally low quality of life (QoL). In this study, we looked at factors that predict long-term QoL and found that sleep problems are highly influential. Our results additionally suggest that social satisfaction can buffer this influence. These findings suggest that sleep and social satisfaction could be monitored to increase QoL in autistic adults.