title: Preliminary study of family accommodation in youth with autism spectrum disorders and anxiety: Incidence, clinical correlates, and behavioral treatment response.
abstract: Anxiety symptoms are common in youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and directly associated with symptom severity and functional impairment. Family accommodation occurs frequently among individuals with obsessive-compulsive and anxiety disorders; to date, no data exist on the nature and correlates of family accommodation in youth with ASD and anxiety, as well as its relationship to cognitive-behavioral therapy outcome. Forty children with ASD and a comorbid anxiety disorder participated. Clinicians administered measures of ASD and anxiety disorder caseness, anxiety symptom severity, and family accommodation; parents completed questionnaires assessing social responsiveness, internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and functional impairment. A subsample of youth (n = 24) completed a course of cognitive-behavioral therapy. Family accommodation was common and positively correlated with anxiety symptom severity, but not functional impairment, general internalizing symptoms, externalizing behavior, or social responsiveness. Family accommodation decreased following cognitive-behavioral therapy with decreases in family accommodation being associated with decreases in anxiety levels. Treatment responders reported lower family accommodation frequency and lower parent impact relative to non-responders. Clinical implications of this study in assessing and psychotherapeutically treating youth with ASD and comorbid anxiety are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of South Florida, United States; Department of Health Policy and Management, University of South Florida, United States; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, University of South Florida, United States; Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, United States; Rogers Behavioral Health - Tampa Bay, United States; All Children's Hospital - Johns Hopkins Medicine, United States. Electronic address: estorch@health.usf.edu.
authors.forename: Eric A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Storch
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of South Florida, United States.
authors.forename: Sophia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zavrou
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of South Florida, United States.
authors.forename: Amanda B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Collier
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of South Florida, United States; Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, United States.
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ung
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of South Florida, United States; Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, United States.
authors.forename: Elysse B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Arnold
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of South Florida, United States.
authors.forename: P Jane
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Mutch
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of South Florida, United States; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, University of South Florida, United States; Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, United States.
authors.forename: Adam B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Lewin
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of South Florida, United States; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, University of South Florida, United States; All Children's Hospital - Johns Hopkins Medicine, United States.
authors.forename: Tanya K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Murphy
mesh_terms: D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Anxiety; Autism spectrum disorder; Cognitive-behavioral therapy; Family accommodation