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Brief Report: The Assessment of Anxiety in High-Functioning Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

Anxiety may exacerbate interpersonal difficulties and contribute to secondary behavioral problems in adolescents with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (HFASD). This study was conducted to assess the psychometric properties and construct validity of measures of anxiety with a sample (n = 30) of adolescents with HFASD and comorbid anxiety disorders. Results indicate that the measures (CASI-Anxiety Scale; Sukhodolsky et al. 2008; MASC; March 1998) possess acceptable internal consistency, and there is evidence of discriminant validity. Most of the adolescents, however, under-reported problems with anxiety, compared to parent-reported and clinician-derived reports and given they were seeking treatment for anxiety problems. Findings highlight the importance of using multiple raters in clinical practice and consideration of rater discrepancies in clinical research.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health [1K01MH079945-01; PI: S. W. White]. The authors acknowledge the consultants on this grant: Thomas H. Ollendick, Ph.D. and Lawrence Scahill, Ph.D. We also thank the participants in this study, their parents, and their teachers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 109 Williams Hall (0436), Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Susan W. White, Amie R. Schry & Brenna B. Maddox

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  1. Susan W. White
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  2. Amie R. Schry
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  3. Brenna B. Maddox
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Correspondence to Susan W. White.

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White, S.W., Schry, A.R. & Maddox, B.B. Brief Report: The Assessment of Anxiety in High-Functioning Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 42, 1138–1145 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1353-3

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