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‘Intolerance of Uncertainty’ mediates the relationship between social profile and anxiety in both Williams Syndrome and autism

South, M.; Hanley, M.; Normansell-Mossa, K.; Russell, N.C.C.; Cawthorne, T.; Riby, D.M.

‘Intolerance of Uncertainty’ mediates the relationship between social profile and anxiety in both Williams Syndrome and autism Thumbnail


Authors

M. South

K. Normansell-Mossa

N.C.C. Russell

T. Cawthorne



Abstract

Anxiety is the most significant mental health concern for both Williams syndrome (WS) and autism. Whilst WS and autism are characterised by some syndrome-specific social differences, less is known about cross-syndrome profiles of anxiety symptoms. Previous research has shown that Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) is a core mechanism of anxiety maintenance for clinically anxious populations and for autistic children, adolescents, and adults. The only published study in this area for WS (Uljarević et al., 2018) has shown some similar patterns – with an added emphasis on the role of sensory sensitivities -- in a sample of older teens and adults (mean age =24), with the authors highlighting the need for younger samples to consider developmental influences. Here we report a cross-syndrome, cross-sectional mediation analyses of children diagnosed with WS or autism, including data from parent surveys of 90 children with WS (n=48) or autism (n=42). Group differences showed higher trait levels on all measures for the autism group. Importantly, the relationship between social profile and anxiety was fully mediated by IU level for both groups. This suggests possible similar core mechanisms underlying anxiety in these conditions, and the possibility of generalised intervention approaches especially related to managing distress related to uncertainty in multiple contexts.

Citation

South, M., Hanley, M., Normansell-Mossa, K., Russell, N., Cawthorne, T., & Riby, D. (2021). ‘Intolerance of Uncertainty’ mediates the relationship between social profile and anxiety in both Williams Syndrome and autism. Autism Research, 14(9), 1986-1995. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2554

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date May 18, 2021
Online Publication Date Jun 10, 2021
Publication Date Sep 10, 2021
Deposit Date Jun 1, 2021
Publicly Available Date Jun 10, 2022
Journal Autism Research
Print ISSN 1939-3792
Electronic ISSN 1939-3806
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 14
Issue 9
Pages 1986-1995
DOI https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2554
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1247440

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Copyright Statement
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: South, Mikle, Hanley, Mary, Normansell-Mossa, Karys, Russell, Nicholas C. C., Cawthorne, Thomas & Riby, Deborah M. (2021). ‘Intolerance of Uncertainty’ mediates the relationship between social profile and anxiety in both Williams Syndrome and autism. Autism Research 14(9): 1986-1995., which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2554. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.






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