Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2017 Apr;21(3):333-343.
doi: 10.1177/1362361316643623. Epub 2016 Jul 8.

Changes in anxiety following a randomized control trial of a theatre-based intervention for youth with autism spectrum disorder

Blythe A Corbett  1 , Scott D Blain  1 , Sara Ioannou  2 , Maddie Balser  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Changes in anxiety following a randomized control trial of a theatre-based intervention for youth with autism spectrum disorder

Blythe A Corbett et al. Autism. 2017 Apr.

Abstract

Increased anxiety and stress are frequently found in children with autism spectrum disorder and are associated with social challenges. Recently, we reported changes in social competence following peer-mediated, theatre-based intervention. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the intervention on reducing anxiety and stress. Participants included 30 youth with autism spectrum disorder (8-14 years old) randomly assigned to the experimental (17) or waitlist control (13) group. Pretest adjusted, between-group differences were analyzed for state-anxiety, trait-anxiety, play-based cortisol, and diurnal cortisol. Pearson correlations were conducted between anxiety, cortisol, and group play. Significant pretest-adjusted between-group differences at posttest were observed on trait-anxiety (F(1, 27) = 9.16, p = 0.005) but not state-anxiety (F(1, 27) = 0.03, p = 0.86), showing lower trait-anxiety in the experimental group. There were no between-group differences on cortisol. There was a significant negative correlation between group play and trait-anxiety (r = -0.362, p = 0.05). Playground cortisol correlated with group play, for the experimental group (r = 0.55, p = 0.03). The theatre-based, peer-mediated intervention not only contributes to improvement in social competence in youth with autism spectrum disorder but also contributes to reductions in trait-anxiety associated with more social interaction with peers. Results suggest that some degree of physiological arousal is essential for social interaction.

Keywords: anxiety; autism spectrum disorders; competence; cortisol; stress; theatre.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Correlation between Post STAI-C Trait and Playground Cortisol.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Correlation between Post Group Play and Playground Cortisol.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 5. Washington, DC: 2013.
    1. Ballaban-Gil K, Rapin I, Tuchman R, et al. Longitudinal examination of the behavioral, language, and social changes in a population of adolescents and young adults with autistic disorder. Pediatric Neurology. 1996;15(3):217–223. - PubMed
    1. Banda DR, Copple KS, Koul RK, et al. Video modelling interventions to teach spontaneous requesting using AAC devices to individuals with autism:a preliminary investigation. Disability and Rehabilitation. 2010;32(16):1364–72. - PubMed
    1. Baron-Cohen S, Leslie AM, Frith U. Does the autistic child have a “theory of mind?”. Cognition. 1985;21:37–46. - PubMed
    1. Barry TD, Klinger LG, Lee JM, et al. Examining the effectiveness of an outpatient clinic-based social skills group for high functioning children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2003;33(6):685–701. - PubMed

Publication types