ERIC Number: EJ1474857
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jul
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1362-3613
EISSN: EISSN-1461-7005
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Correlates of Self-Reported Life Satisfaction among Autistic Youth with and without Intellectual Disability
Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, v29 n7 p1807-1818 2025
Compared to their nonautistic peers, lower levels of life satisfaction have been reported by autistic individuals. It is unclear, however, whether autistic individuals with intellectual disability report similar levels of life satisfaction as autistic individuals without intellectual disability or which characteristics are associated with life satisfaction. This study sought to examine differences in levels of self-reported life satisfaction across those with and without intellectual disability and explore correlates of life satisfaction in a sample of 35 autistic youth with intellectual disability and 99 autistic youth without intellectual disability. No difference in self-reported life satisfaction was detected between autistic youth with and without intellectual disability. Greater self-reported life satisfaction was associated with higher self-determination for autistic youth without intellectual disability. For autistic youth with intellectual disability, greater self-reported life satisfaction was related to more frequent social participation, lower parent stress, and fewer unmet service needs. Unmet service needs and parent stress were significantly stronger correlates of life satisfaction for youth with intellectual disability compared to youth without intellectual disability. Although the sample size of autistic youth with intellectual disability was small, these findings suggest the importance of considering heterogeneity among individuals on the autism spectrum when seeking to understand their well-being.
Descriptors: Life Satisfaction, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Intellectual Disability, Youth, Self Determination, Interpersonal Relationship, Parents, Stress Variables, Services, Needs, Well Being, Adolescents, Young Adults, Individual Characteristics
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (DHHS/NIH); Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (DHHS/NIH); National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Tennessee; Wisconsin; Illinois
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Satisfaction With Life Scale; National Survey of Families and Households; Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales; National Longitudinal Transition Study of Special Education Students
Grant or Contract Numbers: R01MH116058; P50HD103537; P50HD105353; UL1TR000445
Author Affiliations: 1Vanderbilt University Medical Center, USA; 2University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA; 3Vanderbilt University, USA