Social anxiety is one of the most common anxiety disorders in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The cognitive model of social anxiety (Clark & Wells, 1995),with a focus on internal appraisals, has an established evidence-base in typically developing individuals. In contrast, the developmental pathways model (Bellini, 2006)suggests social skills deficits and difficulties coping with high levels of physiological arousal associated with anxiety are key to understanding social anxiety in individuals with ASD, thereby implicating social skills training and relaxation as appropriate interventions. The present study investigated the applicability of a number of cognitive factors (self-focussed attention, interoceptive awareness, public and private self consciousness, self- and observer-rated social skills performance discrepancy) in individuals with ASD (n=33), divided into two groups: low social anxiety (n=16) and high social anxiety (n=17). Participants took part in a group-based paradigm, designed to simulate a social situation. Between-group comparisons indicated higher situational levels of self-focussed attention and interoceptive awareness in high socially anxious individuals compared with low socially anxious individuals, with a significant positive correlation between the two variables. Observer-rated social skills performance and self-focussed attention accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in social anxiety. Findings were discussed in relation to theoretical accounts of social anxiety in ASD, and clinical implications include the recommendation that cognitive interventions should be added to social skills training and relaxation in individuals with ASD and high social anxiety.
Date of Award | 1 Oct 2015 |
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Original language | English |
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Awarding Institution | |
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Supervisor | Ailsa Russell (Supervisor), Emma Griffith (Supervisor), Oliver Tooze (Supervisor), James Gregory (Supervisor), Jeremy Gauntlett-Gilbert (Supervisor), Megan Wilkinson-Tough (Supervisor) & Claire Lomax (Supervisor) |
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Doctorate in Clinical Psychology: Main Research Portfolio: a) The role of alcohol misuse in the long-term course of PTSD following deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan in UK military veterans; 2) PSYCHOLOGISTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS TO INDEX OFFENCE ASSESSMENT AND FORMULATION WITHIN A MEDIUM SECURE UNIT; 3) THE ROLE OF SELF-FOCUSSED ATTENTION IN SOCIAL ANXIETY IN INDIVIDUALS WITH HIGH-FUNCTIONING AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER.
Rusbridge, S. (Author). 1 Oct 2015
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy)