Brief Report: Psychological Flexibility, Perceived Stress and Emotion Regulation in Transitional-Age Youth (TAY) With...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Transdiagnostic interventions like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) are gaining traction for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• Understanding transdiagnostic factors is crucial for refining interventions for individuals with ASD.
• Transition-age youth (TAY) with ASD often face pervasive difficulties impacting their well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate psychological flexibility, perceived stress, and emotion regulation (ER) strategies in TAY with ASD.
• To compare these transdiagnostic factors between TAY with ASD, TAY with other psychological problems, and a community sample.
• To identify key areas for therapeutic intervention in TAY with ASD.

Main Methods:

• The study included TAY with ASD, TAY with other psychological problems, and a community sample of TAY.
• Psychological flexibility, perceived stress, and ER strategies were assessed in all groups.
• Statistical analyses were used to compare the groups on these transdiagnostic factors.

Main Results:

• TAY with ASD and TAY with other psychological problems reported significantly lower psychological flexibility compared to the community sample.
• Both clinical groups exhibited higher perceived stress and less adaptive/more maladaptive ER strategies than the community group.
• No significant differences were found between TAY with ASD and TAY with other psychological problems on the measured transdiagnostic factors.

Conclusions:

• Psychological flexibility, stress, and ER strategies are important transdiagnostic factors for TAY with ASD.
• Interventions like ACT that enhance psychological flexibility may benefit TAY with ASD.
• Future research should focus on addressing these transdiagnostic factors in interventions for TAY with ASD.