Longitudinal Relationships Between Depressive Attributional Style and Internalizing Symptoms in an Autism-Enriched Sample of Incoming College Students

Sydney R. Terroso, Erin E. McKenney, Steven M. Brunwasser, Jared K. Richards, Talena C. Day, Bella Kofner, Rachel G. McDonald, Kristen Gillespie-Lynch, Erin Kang, Matthew D. Lerner, Katherine O. Gotham

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: Anxiety and depression are among the most common psychiatric conditions reported in first-year college students. Autistic adults are estimated to face double the rate of anxiety and depression compared with non-autistic peers, influencing quality of life, social success, and academic performance. One potential avenue to understand and address internalizing symptoms in autistic adults beginning their college careers is depressive attributional style, a biased causal explanatory style in which negative life events are attributed to internal, stable, and global causes. The current study evaluates the relationship between depressive attributional style and symptoms of anxiety and depression across the first semester of college, as moderated by autistic traits. We also explore baseline depressive attributional style across additional marginalized aspects of identity based on race/ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation, and examine potential interaction effects of autistic traits on these relationships. Methods: Undergraduate students were recruited from four northeastern universities. Our sample (n = 144) includes 47 participants who self-identified or reported a formal autism diagnosis, and 97 non-autistic participants. Participants completed baseline and endpoint questionnaires, as well as a 2-minute biweekly survey, tracking changes in sadness, anhedonia, and anxiety throughout their first semester. Results: Longitudinal analyses demonstrate that elevated depressive attributional style at baseline predicted biweekly anxiety, sadness, and anhedonia symptoms across the semester. This pattern extended across (was not moderated by) levels of autistic traits, however, participants who reported higher autistic traits endorsed a significantly greater depressive attributional style at baseline, and greater anxiety, sadness, and anhedonia throughout the semester. The relationship between autistic traits and depressive attributional style was strongest for participants with a nonheterosexual orientation. Conclusion: This study underscores the autistic community-identified need for mental health research, with attention to intersecting identities, and suggests depressive attributional style for further investigation as a potential treatment target.

Original languageEnglish
JournalAutism in Adulthood
DOIs
StateAccepted/In press - 2024

Keywords

  • anxiety
  • attributional style
  • autism
  • college mental health
  • depression

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Longitudinal Relationships Between Depressive Attributional Style and Internalizing Symptoms in an Autism-Enriched Sample of Incoming College Students'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this