Abstract
Many autistic adults experience public stigma and some internalise this stigma with negative effects on their mental health. While efforts to reduce public stigma are paramount, change can be slow, and interventions to prevent internalised stigma may also be needed. Using a mixed methods online survey, we gathered the views of 144 autistic adults and parents/caregivers of autistic people in the United Kingdom on whether a stigma-related support programme for autistic adults is needed and, if so, what it should ‘look’ like. Quantitative data (summarised descriptively) showed that most participants felt it was important for autistic adults to have support in managing stigma and revealed diverse preferences in terms of programme delivery, underscoring the need for flexibility. Using reflexive thematic analysis, four main themes were identified from the qualitative data: (1) ‘We need to change society not autistic people’, (2) ‘Stigma is difficult to manage alone’, (3) ‘Focus on positive, practical support’, and (4) ‘There is no one size fits all approach’. We discuss the important implications our findings have for how future interventions in this area are framed and delivered.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 1676 - 1689 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Autism |
Volume | 27 |
Issue number | 6 |
Early online date | 4 Jan 2023 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Aug 2023 |
Bibliographical note
FundingThe author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Funding for this study was provided by University College London (UCL).