Structure and dynamics of anxiety in people with ASD and ID: A network analysis

Anxiety is a very common mental health disorder in the ASD population. Despite the common comorbidity this association is not well understood. To understand the relationship between anxiety symptoms and ASD in a sample of people with ASD and intellectual disability, a network analysis was carried out. One hundred and twenty-eight adults (M = 36.63 age, SD = 8,54) were evaluated to know the structure of anxiety symptoms in autism and their relationship with ASD symptomatology. The results showed a single network where both symptomatologies were mixed. Bridging symptoms such as fear of being touched, fear of something bad happening to them, and the need for invariance and anticipation were identified. Moreover, social issues such as difficulty in making friends were associated with anxiety symptoms. Knowing and identifying ASD symptoms that are strongly linked to the anxiety network has important implications for the prevention of anxiety in this case in people with autism and intellectual disabilities.