Experiences of First Episode Psychosis Amongst Autistic Adults
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An Exploration of Experiences of First Episode Psychosis Amongst Autistic Adults.
IRAS ID
330394
Contact name
Louise Beattie
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Glasgow
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 1 days
Research summary
Autism and psychosis often co-occur, with reported prevalence rates greater than in the general population. There is also evidence to suggest that autistic people who experience psychosis may experience a longer duration of untreated symptoms, greater symptom severity, and be less likely to respond to multiple antipsychotic medications. Research seeking to explain the link between autism and psychosis has been dominated by medical studies attempting to highlight autism as a risk factor for the development of psychosis because of biology or thinking style differences.
Other research has highlighted the potential role of difficult life experiences in the development of psychosis. Autistic individuals are exposed to more difficult life experiences such as bullying, discrimination or stigma. Despite this, little attention has been paid to the potential influence of psychological and social factors in the higher rates of psychosis found in autism. Research into lived experience has the potential to shed new light on psychosis in autism and inform improved assessment and intervention. The research questions seek to explore how autistic people made sense of their experiences and the factors they believe were important in their recovery journey during first-episode psychosis.
Participants will be aged 16-35 who have experienced first-episode psychosis, and are a service user in an early intervention service. They will have a formal autism diagnosis and/or self-identify as autistic. The study will employ a qualitative design, using semi-structured individual interviews, lasting approximately one hour to explore the research question. Some demographic information will also be collected from participants in order to contextualise the findings. The aim is to recruit 6-8 participants.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 3
REC reference
24/WS/0025
Date of REC Opinion
3 Apr 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion