Stress and Coping in Autistic Young Adults

Half a million autistic youth will enter adulthood over the next decade. Support services to help youth successfully transition into adulthood are limited and not tailored to the autistic youth and young adult's needs. This study utilized qualitative methods to understand how autistic young adults experience and cope with stress during the transition to adulthood.

The study recruited 15 autistic young adults aged 18-25 years. Each participant completed a short demographic survey and individual interview. Interviews were conducted online via Google Docs or in-person based on the participants' preference. Three researchers organized and coded the data using a thematic approach.

Based on our analysis, three themes emerged. Within the first theme, young adults in this study described experiencing a great deal of stress and provided examples of how it manifested in physical and emotional ways. In the second theme, youth described that the causes of this stress stemmed from general problems handling new or multiple responsibilities and specific problems in school, work, financial responsibilities, and social relationships. Finally, young adults described using various coping mechanisms including relaxation techniques, use of technology, and friends and family social support.

The study findings can help service providers and family members find new ways to help autistic young adults manage their stress. This study provides a unique understanding of stress and coping from the autistic individuals' point of view. Stress is most often derived from managing new responsibilities in general and school, work, money, and relationships in particular. Tailored support services that follow the individual from adolescence through adulthood are needed to manage these stressors. Researchers and service providers can utilize these recommendations for future program development. Furthermore, the method used in this study can be replicated to facilitate autistic individual input on future program development.