Abstract
Prospective momentary psychological and biological measures of real-time daily life stress experiences have been examined in several psychiatric disorders, but not in adults with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current electronic self-monitoring study examined associations between momentary daily life stressors and (i) negative affect (NA; emotional stress reactivity) and (ii) cortisol levels (biological stress reactivity) in males and females with ASD (N=50) and without ASD (N=51). The Experience Sampling Method, including saliva sampling, was used to measure three types of daily life stress (activity-related, event-related, and social stress), NA, and cortisol. Multilevel regression analyses demonstrated significant interactions between group and stress (i.e., activity-related and event-related stress) in the model of NA, indicating stronger emotional stress reactivity in the ASD than in the control group. In the model of cortisol, none of the group x stress interactions were significant. Male/female sex had no moderating effect on either emotional or biological stress reactivity. In conclusion, adults with ASD showed a stronger emotional stress (but not cortisol) reactivity in response to unpleasant daily life events and activities. The findings highlight the feasibility of electronic self-monitoring in individuals with ASD, which may contribute to the development of more personalized stress-management approaches.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 14160 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Scientific Reports |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 8 Jul 2021 |
Keywords
- ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER
- DAILY-LIFE STRESS
- FUNCTIONING AUTISM
- HPA-AXIS
- PERCEIVED STRESS
- PSYCHIATRIC COMORBIDITY
- PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESS
- REACTIVITY
- SEX-DIFFERENCES
- YOUNG-ADULTS