Neurodivergence as a Risk Factor for Post-COVID-19 Syndrome

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Raw, R. K., Rees, J., Pearson, A., & Chadwick, D. R. (2025). Neurodivergence as a Risk Factor for Post-COVID-19 Syndrome. COVID, 6(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.3390/covid6010001

Publication date: 19 Dec 2025 Added to AutiHub: 6 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
4
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 4 (25.0%)
  1. Rachael K. Raw
  2. Jon Rees
  3. Amy Pearson *
  4. David R. Chadwick

Abstract

Objectives: Neurodivergent (ND) individuals (e.g., autistic people) are more likely to experience health problems that are characterised by ‘Central Sensitisation’ (CS). Recent research suggests that a so-called ‘Long-COVID’ syndrome might also be explained by a heightened response to internal physiological stimuli, much like in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The primary objective of this study was to establish whether individuals who scored highly on a measure of CS would be more likely to experience long-term symptoms of COVID-19. A secondary aim considered if having a Type D personality was also linked to ongoing COVID-19 symptoms. Method: Using a standardised assessment tool, we examined whether traits associated with autism would predict long-term COVID-19 symptoms in 267 Healthcare Workers (HCWs). We also used a measure of Type D personality to establish if negative affect and social inhibition were related to Long-COVID. Results: A higher number of autistic traits predicted COVID-19 symptoms that lasted more than 12 weeks regardless of formal autism diagnosis. A personality measure also showed that negative affect was associated with experiencing COVID-19 symptoms for 4–12 weeks, though the direction of causality in this case is uncertain. Conclusions: Our main findings were (i) more HCWs scored above threshold for neurodivergence than those who were self-declared as having been diagnosed as neurodivergent; (ii) while there was no association between long-term COVID-19 and self-declared neurodivergent status, scores for the ‘sensory reactivity’ item of a standardised autism scale was predictive of COVID-19 symptoms lasting beyond 12 weeks post-infection; and (iii) HCWs with Type D Personality were not more likely to experience long-term COVID-19.

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These indicators describe the cited bibliography imported for this publication. Cited-reference metrics use the cited-reference total as denominator. Cited-author metrics state whether they use all cited-author occurrences or only occurrences linked to authors already integrated in the AutiHub database. They use cached links between cited authors and authors integrated in the AutiHub database. Last computed: 16 Aug 2026 11:31.

Cited references
15
Total cited references integrated for this publication.
Cited references with an identified autistic author
1 / 15 (6.7%)
Cited author occurrences identified as autistic
1 / 91 (1.1%)
Among occurrences linked to AutiHub author records: 1 / 18 (5.6%). Distinct cited authors identified as autistic: 1 / 77 (1.3%).
Cited author occurrences linked to AutiHub author records
18 / 91 (19.8%)
Distinct linked cited authors: 11 / 77 (14.3%)
Linked cited-author occurrences not identified as autistic
17 / 18 (94.4%)
Among linked cited-author occurrences only. Across all cited-author occurrences: 17 / 91 (18.7%). Distinct linked cited authors not identified as autistic: 10 / 11 (90.9%).
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