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. 2019 Jul;49(7):2901-2912.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-019-04016-x.

'Who Am I?': An Exploratory Study of the Relationships Between Identity, Acculturation and Mental Health in Autistic Adolescents

Lily Cresswell  1 , Eilidh Cage  2
Affiliations

'Who Am I?': An Exploratory Study of the Relationships Between Identity, Acculturation and Mental Health in Autistic Adolescents

Lily Cresswell et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2019 Jul.

Abstract

Autistic adolescents are at increased risk of mental health difficulties. One potential factor contributing to this is identity development, although this hypothesis has been little explored. These adolescents also have to consider how autism forms their identity, a process called acculturation. This exploratory study examined the relationships between identity, acculturation and mental health in autistic adolescents. Twenty-four participants completed measures investigating identity, acculturation and mental health. Findings suggested mental health was not related to personal identity. Mental health scores did not differ between acculturation groups, however those aligned to non-autistic culture tended to generate more positive self-statements than those aligned to neither culture. These findings suggest autistic adolescents should be encouraged to explore autistic culture and supported in constructing their identity.

Keywords: Acculturation; Adolescence; Identity; Mental health.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mean SDQ total difficulties score according to acculturation group (marginalised = alignment to non-autistic culture; bicultural = alignment to both cultures; assimilated = alignment to neither culture; separated = alignment to autistic culture)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mean percentage of positive and negative TST statements produced according to acculturation group (marginalised = alignment to non-autistic culture; bicultural = alignment no both cultures; assimilated = alignment to neither culture; separated = alignment to autistic culture). *p= .005
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