Young males with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) and their peer friendships
Research type
Research Study
Full title
How do male adolescents with a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome (AS) experience their peer friendships? An interpretative phenomenological study.
IRAS ID
228105
Contact name
Georgios Samoilis
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
London Metropolitan University
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 28 days
Research summary
Qualitative research demonstrates the importance of understanding Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) from firsthand accounts and this has been identified as a gap in research (Hurlbutt & Chalmers, 2002; Jones et al., 2003).\nPreliminary evidence suggests that male adolescents with Asperger Syndrome (AS) are employing ‘masquerading’ strategies to mask their social communication-interaction difficulties (Carrington & Graham, 2001; Carrington et al.,2003; Humphrey & Lewis 2008). The impact of the employment of such strategies has been associated with damaging effects to their mental health (Szatmari, 1991; Williams, 1995). The challenges experienced with peer relationships in individuals with AS represent a contributing factor to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression (Muller et al., 2008). Young people with ASDs may present with more challenges when compared to their typically developing peers. One developmental stage that requires further investigation is the period of adolescence (Cridland et al., 2014c).\nThe research question the CI will be aiming to address is: How do male adolescents with AS experience their peer friendships? The CI further aims to explore as to whether and how males with AS mask their social communication difficulties when interacting with their peers. To do this, 4-10 participants will attend one interview for up to one hour with the CI.\nInterpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) will be employed for the proposed study (Smith, 2003). IPA is exploratory in nature and looks in depth at the participants’ lived experiences. All the participants will be males, 12-18 years old, attending mainstream education and aware of their AS diagnosis.\nAll the participants will be recruited by South London and Maudsley (SLAM) NHS foundation Trust’s Children and Adolescents Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Neurodevelopmental Service (NDS) where the CI has been working as a CAMHS practitioner. It is anticipated that the study (recruitment and interviewing) will last no more than one year following NHS/REC approval.\n\n
REC name
London - Hampstead Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/1470
Date of REC Opinion
19 Oct 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion