Social anxiety in high-functioning children and adolescents with Autism and Asperger syndrome.
We examined social anxiety and internalizing symptoms using the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C), the Social Anxiety Scale for Children -Revised (SASC-R), and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in a sample of fifty-four high-functioning subjects with autism or Asperger syndrome (HFA/AS) (M = 11.2 +/- 1.7 years) and 305 community subjects (M = 12.2 +/- 2.2 years). Children and adolescents completed the SPAI-C and SASC-R, and their parents completed the CBCL Internalizing scale. Adolescents with HFA/AS scored higher than the community sample on all measures. Behavioural avoidance and evaluative social anxiety increased by age within the HFA/AS group, whereas behavioural avoidance decreased by age in control participants. Data support that HFA/AS in adolescents may be associated with clinically relevant social anxiety symptoms.
Kuusikko
Sanna
S
Clinic of Child Psychiatric, University and University Hospital of Oulu, Oulu, Finland. kuusisan@paju.oulu.fi
Pollock-Wurman
Rachel
R
Jussila
Katja
K
Carter
Alice S
AS
Mattila
Marja-Leena
ML
Ebeling
Hanna
H
Pauls
David L
DL
Moilanen
Irma
I
D000293:Adolescent; D020817:Asperger Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires