Unraveling the Path from Autism Acceptance to Quality of Life in Autistic Transition-Age Youths: A Parallel Mediation...

Autistic transition-age youths experienced unique psychosocial challenges in transitioning to postsecondary settings. These challenges may result from both the nature of autism and the developmental tasks associated with this unique developmental stage. Given the challenges and barriers faced by this population, understanding the relationship among factors in this transition period and developing relevant interventions are crucial. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships between autism acceptance and coping strategies and understand how they impact the quality of life (QOL) of this population.

In total, 204 autistic youths aged 18-26 years recruited from Prolific and Amazon Mechanical Turk completed an online survey consisting of instruments measuring target variables. Two parallel mediation models were examined to explore the relationships between autism acceptance, coping, and QOL.

Both parallel mediation models showed good fit. In the first model, perceived acceptance had a significant direct effect on QOL (β = 0.512, p < 0.01) and a significant indirect effect through engagement coping (β = 0.059, p < 0.01). In the second model, the effects of self-acceptance on QOL were fully mediated by both engagement (β = 0.073, p < 0.01) and disengagement coping (β = 0.089, p < 0.01).

Autism acceptance is a crucial psychosocial factor in impacting successful transition to postsecondary settings. Acceptance-based transition services should be developed for autistic youths to help them gain a comprehensive understanding of their relationship with self, others, and their autism.