Clarifying Self-Report Measures of Social Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder to Improve Reporting for Autistic Adults
This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.
About the autistic author markerChew, X. Y., Leong, D. j., Khor, K. M., Tan, G. M. Y., Wei, K. C., & Magiati, I. (2020). Clarifying Self-Report Measures of Social Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder to Improve Reporting for Autistic Adults. Autism in Adulthood, 3(2), 129-146. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2019.0064
This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:
Authors
Abstract
Background: Phenotypic similarities exist between autism-related experiences and anxiety (especially social anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder [OCD]), making it difficult for autistic people to self-report their experiences using existing measures developed for nonautistic adults. We examined whether clarifications aiming to tease out autism-related experiences from social anxiety or OCD in self-report questionnaires would influence autistic and nonautistic participants' ratings. Methods: Two autistic consultants and two experienced clinicians were consulted to develop item clarifications aiming to disentangle autistic from anxiety experiences for two questionnaires: the Social Anxiety Questionnaire (SAQ) and the Padua Inventory (PI) for OCD. Autistic adults (n = 50) and nonautistic university students with higher (n = 81) and lower autistic traits (ATs; n = 104) completed the original questionnaire followed by the clarified questionnaire items online. Results: For social anxiety, there were few significant differences between the original and clarified item and total SAQ scores. For OCD, participants reported significantly lower scores for the OCD-clarified PI items than for the original items and the autism-clarified items. Larger original–clarified PI mean item differences were noted in items describing repetitive behaviors, “obsessional” thoughts, and contamination fears. Similar patterns of differences were found in autistic and nonautistic participants with higher and lower ATs, but differences were often larger in the autistic group. Conclusion: The SAQ in its original form appears to be an appropriate measure for autistic people to self-report social anxiety. However, autistic people appeared to complete the original PI items to reflect, to some extent, their autism-related experiences, rather than the originally intended OCD symptoms. Thus, the original OCD self-report ratings were inflated using the PI. Professionals should therefore clarify the intended meanings of different items of the PI to ensure more accurate and relevant ratings of OCD symptoms in autistic people. Lay summary Why was this study done? Autistic people and people with higher autistic traits (ATs) often experience higher rates of anxiety. Anxiety measures developed for the general population may not be appropriate or accurate for measuring anxiety in autistic people. We investigated whether clarifying items in existing self-report questionnaires to tease out anxiety from autistic experiences would influence the way autistic adults self-report their social anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms, and if so in what ways. We also wanted to know whether providing these item clarifications would affect the ratings of nonautistic individuals with varying rates of ATs to the same extent. What did the researchers do? We initially consulted two autistic adults and two clinicians with experience working with autistic adults and co-occurring mental health difficulties. We selected two measures: the Social Anxiety Questionnaire (SAQ) for social anxiety symptoms and the Padua Inventory for OCD symptoms. The consultants identified social anxiety and OCD items that could be interpreted or experienced differently by autistic people and proposed ways to clarify them to make their meaning clearer. Next, 50 autistic people and 185 nonautistic university students participated in our online study. The nonautistic participants were grouped into those with higher or lower ATs. Participants completed the original social anxiety and OCD questionnaires first, followed by the clarified versions of the two questionnaires. What were the results of the study? For social anxiety, we only found small differences in ratings when participants used measures with or without clarifications. This was true in both autistic and nonautistic participants. For OCD symptoms, autistic people's OCD ratings were significantly lower for many items after we provided clarifications, especially for items describing repetitive behaviors, “obsessional” thoughts, and contamination fears. This finding suggests that in the original questionnaire, autistic people may have also been rating their autism-related experiences, not just the OCD experiences or symptoms the questionnaire was trying to measure. We found similar differences between the original and clarified item ratings in nonautistic participants with higher and lower ATs. However, the differences were more common and pronounced with the autistic participants. What do these findings add to what was already known? These findings suggest that original self-report measures of anxiety may need to be clarified so that autistic adults can better capture and rate their anxiety, rather than their autism-related experiences. What are potential weaknesses in the study? We used only two anxiety questionnaires, so these findings may or may not be applicable to other OCD or social anxiety questionnaires available. Also, the clarifications we provided may not be representative of all autistic people's experiences, and it is possible that there are other and better ways to clarify the items. We also conducted many item comparisons in this study, so there is a possibility that some findings were due to chance. How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future? Our findings can help improve clinical interviews and use of anxiety questionnaires by making them more accurate. They can also help clinicians appreciate the importance of asking clarifying questions to ensure they better capture autistic adults' anxiety experiences.
Bibliography cited by this reference
Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.
Cited bibliography overview
These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 12 Sep 2026 18:15.
- With a DOI
- 50
- Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
- 2
- References with detected author names
- 51 / 52 (98.1%)
- Without detected author names
- 1
- Without a structured title
- 1
- Without a stable identifier
- 2
- References with raw author names still to review
- 0
- References with external metadata lookup issues
- 0
- From DOI or external metadata
- 193
- From validated raw bibliography text
- 0
- Raw names already validated
- 0
- Raw names still to review
- 2
-
Brenna B. Maddox , Susan W. White (2015). Comorbid Social Anxiety Disorder in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(12), 3949-3960. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Gagan Joshi , Janet Wozniak , Carter Petty , Mary Kate Martelon , Ronna Fried , Anela Bolfek et al. (2013). Psychiatric Comorbidity and Functioning in a Clinically Referred Population of Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Comparative Study . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43(6), 1314-1325. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Connor M. Kerns , Philip C. Kendall (2012). The presentation and classification of anxiety in autism spectrum disorder. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 19(4), 323-347. American Psychological Association (APA).Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Jeffrey J. Wood , Kenneth D. Gadow (2010). Exploring the nature and function of anxiety in youth with autism spectrum disorders. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 17(4), 281-292. American Psychological Association (APA).Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Anne G. Lever , Hilde M. Geurts (2016). Psychiatric Co-occurring Symptoms and Disorders in Young, Middle-Aged, and Older Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46(6), 1916-1930. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
González Moreno, Andrés Santiago (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . American Psychiatric Association.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Richard P. Mattick , J.Christopher Clarke (1998). Development and validation of measures of social phobia scrutiny fear and social interaction anxiety11Editor’s note: This article was written before the development of some contemporary measures of social phobia, such as the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (Turner et al., 1989). We have invited this article for publication because of the growing interest in the scales described therein. S.T. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36(4), 455-470. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Roma A. Vasa , Micah Mazurek , Rajneesh Mahajan , Amanda E. Bennett , Maria Pilar Bernal , Alixandra A. Nozzolillo et al. (2016). Assessment and Treatment of Anxiety in Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorders . Pediatrics, 137(Supplement_2), S115-S123. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Franz Faul , Edgar Erdfelder , Axel Buchner , Albert-Georg Lang (2009). Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1: Tests for correlation and regression analyses . Behavior Research Methods, 41(4), 1149-1160. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Vicente E. Caballo , Isabel C. Salazar , María Jesús Irurtia , Benito Arias , Stefan G. Hofmann (2010). Measuring Social Anxiety in 11 Countries . European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 26(2), 95-107. Hogrefe Publishing Group.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Matthew Hollocks , Jian Wei Lerh , Iliana Magiati , Richard Meiser-Stedman , Traolach Brugha (2019). Anxiety and depression in adults with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis . Psychological Medicine, 49(4), 559-572. Cambridge University Press (CUP).Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Sigan L. Hartley , Darryn M. Sikora (2009). Which DSM-IV-TR criteria best differentiate high-functioning autism spectrum disorder from ADHD and anxiety disorders in older children? Autism, 13(5), 485-509. SAGE Publications.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Katherine Gotham , Alison R Marvin , Julie Taylor , Zachary Warren , Connie M Anderson , Paul A Law et al. (2015). Characterizing the daily life, needs, and priorities of adults with autism spectrum disorder from Interactive Autism Network data . Autism, 19(7), 794-804. SAGE Publications.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Francisca J. A. van Steensel , Susan M. Bögels , Sean Perrin (2011). Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents with Autistic Spectrum Disorders: A Meta-Analysis . Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 14(3), 302-317. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Vicente E. Caballo , Isabel C. Salazar , María Jesús Irurtia , Benito Arias , Stefan G. Hofmann (2012). The Multidimensional Nature and Multicultural Validity of a New Measure of Social Anxiety: The Social Anxiety Questionnaire for Adults . Behavior Therapy, 43(2), 313-328. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Mikle South , Sally Ozonoff , William M. McMahon (2005). Repetitive Behavior Profiles in Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 35(2), 145-158. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Guilherme V. Polanczyk , Giovanni A. Salum , Luisa S. Sugaya , Arthur Caye , Luis A. Rohde (2015). Annual Research Review: A meta‐analysis of the worldwide prevalence of mental disorders in children and adolescents . Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56(3), 345-365. Wiley.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Vicente E. Caballo , CISO-A Research Team , Benito Arias , Isabel C. Salazar , María Jesús Irurtia , Stefan G. Hofmann (2015). Psychometric properties of an innovative self-report measure: The Social Anxiety Questionnaire for adults. Psychological Assessment, 27(3), 997-1012. American Psychological Association (APA).Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Akio Wakabayashi , Tadashi Aobayashi (2007). Psychometric properties of the Padua Inventory in a sample of Japanese university students . Personality and Individual Differences, 43(5), 1113-1123. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Zachary Steel , Claire Marnane , Changiz Iranpour , Tien Chey , John W Jackson , Vikram Patel et al. (2014). The global prevalence of common mental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis 1980–2013 . International Journal of Epidemiology, 43(2), 476-493. Oxford University Press (OUP).Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Jorge Lugo-Marín , María Magán-Maganto , Amado Rivero-Santana , Leticia Cuellar-Pompa , Montserrat Alviani , Cristina Jenaro-Rio et al. (2019). Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in adults with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis . Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 59, 22-33. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Heather Brown *Autistic author. Learn more… , Janis Oram Cardy , Andrew M. Johnson (2013). A Meta-Analysis of the Reading Comprehension Skills of Individuals on the Autism Spectrum . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43(4), 932-955. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
-
Lee G. Sternberger , G.Leonard Burns (1990). Obsessions and compulsions: psychometric properties of the Padua inventory with an American college population . Behaviour Research and Therapy, 28(4), 341-345. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Shi Min Liew , Nishta Thevaraja , Ryan Y. Hong , Iliana Magiati (2015). The Relationship Between Autistic Traits and Social Anxiety, Worry, Obsessive–Compulsive, and Depressive Symptoms: Specific and Non-specific Mediators in a Student Sample . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(3), 858-872. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
WENDY K. SILVERMAN , WENDY B. NELLES (1988). The Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children . Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 27(6), 772-778. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
S. Lundström , Z. Chang , N. Kerekes , C. H. Gumpert , M. Råstam , C. Gillberg et al. (2011). Autistic-like traits and their association with mental health problems in two nationwide twin cohorts of children and adults . Psychological Medicine, 41(11), 2423-2433. Cambridge University Press (CUP).Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Roderick J. A. Little (1988). A Test of Missing Completely at Random for Multivariate Data with Missing Values . Journal of the American Statistical Association, 83(404), 1198-1202. Informa UK Limited.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Akio Wakabayashi , Simon Baron-Cohen , Chris Ashwin (2012). Do the traits of autism-spectrum overlap with those of schizophrenia or obsessive-compulsive disorder in the general population? Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 6(2), 717-725. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Patricia Howlin , Philippa Moss , Sarah Savage , Michael Rutter (2013). Social outcomes in mid to later adulthood among individuals diagnosed with autism and average nonverbal IQ as children . Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 5(2), 572. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Jie Zhong , Jun Liu , Chun Wang , Mo Qin , Jieqing Tan , Chunli Yi (2011). Psychometric Properties of the Padua Inventory in Chinese College Samples . Psychological Reports, 109(3), 803-818. SAGE Publications.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Connor M. Kerns , Philip C. Kendall , Leandra Berry , Margaret C. Souders , Martin E. Franklin , Robert T. Schultz et al. (2014). Traditional and Atypical Presentations of Anxiety in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44(11), 2851-2861. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
David Trembath , Carmela Germano , Graeme Johanson , Cheryl Dissanayake (2012). The Experience of Anxiety in Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorders . Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 27(4), 213-224. SAGE Publications.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
David Veale (2004). Psychopathology of obsessive-compulsive disorder . Psychiatry, 3(6), 65-68. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Akio Wakabayashi , Simon Baron-Cohen , Sally Wheelwright , Yoshikuni Tojo (2006). The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) in Japan: A Cross-Cultural Comparison . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36(2), 263-270. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Thomas V Perneger (1998). What's wrong with Bonferroni adjustments . BMJ, 316(7139), 1236-1238. BMJ.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Ezio Sanavio (1988). Obsessions and compulsions: The Padua inventory . Behaviour Research and Therapy, 26(2), 169-177. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Robert S. E. Hurley , Molly Losh , Morgan Parlier , J. Steven Reznick , Joseph Piven (2007). The Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(9), 1679-1690. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Connor M. Kerns , Patricia Renno , Philip C. Kendall , Jeffrey J. Wood , Eric A. Storch (2017). Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule–Autism Addendum: Reliability and Validity in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder . Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 46(1), 88-100. Informa UK Limited.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Julie Taylor , Marsha Mailick Seltzer (2011). Employment and Post-Secondary Educational Activities for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders During the Transition to Adulthood . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41(5), 566-574. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Bruce F Chorpita , Letitia Yim , Catherine Moffitt , Lori A Umemoto , Sarah E Francis (2000). Assessment of symptoms of DSM-IV anxiety and depression in children: a revised child anxiety and depression scale . Behaviour Research and Therapy, 38(8), 835-855. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Shawn R. Narum (2006). Beyond Bonferroni: Less conservative analyses for conservation genetics . Conservation Genetics, 7(5), 783-787. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Jacqui Rodgers , Sarah Wigham , Helen McConachie , Mark Freeston , Emma Honey , Jeremy R Parr (2016). Development of the anxiety scale for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASC‐ASD) . Autism Research, 9(11), 1205-1215. Wiley.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Mark R. Leary (1983). A Brief Version of the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 9(3), 371-375. SAGE Publications.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Megan Freeth , Elizabeth Sheppard , Rajani Ramachandran , Elizabeth Milne (2013). A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Autistic Traits in the UK, India and Malaysia . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43(11), 2569-2583. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Yanyan Sheng , Zhaohui Sheng (2012). Is Coefficient Alpha Robust to Non-Normal Data? Frontiers in Psychology, 3, 34-34. Frontiers Media SA.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Brooke Ingersoll , Christopher J. Hopwood , Allison Wainer , M. Brent Donnellan (2011). A Comparison of Three Self-Report Measures of the Broader Autism Phenotype in a Non-Clinical Sample . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41(12), 1646-1657. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Sangseok Lee , Dong Kyu Lee (2018). What is the proper way to apply the multiple comparison test? Korean Journal of Anesthesiology, 71(5), 353-360. The Korean Society of Anesthesiologists.Type: Article DOI: 10.4097/kja.d.18.00242 10.4097/kja.d.18.00242.e1OpenCitations
-
Liliana Ruta , Diego Mugno , Valentina Genitori D’Arrigo , Benedetto Vitiello , Luigi Mazzone (2010). Obsessive–compulsive traits in children and adolescents with Asperger syndrome . European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 19(1), 17-24. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Sangseok Lee , Dong Kyu Lee (2018). What is the proper way to apply the multiple comparison test? Korean Journal of Anesthesiology, 71(5), 353-360. The Korean Society of Anesthesiologists.Crossref OpenAlex
-
Cohen J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences . Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences.Type: OtherCrossref
-
(n.d.). Kreiser N White S. Measuring social anxiety in adolescents and adults with high functioning autism: The development of a screening instrument. Paper presented at: Kreiser NL Pugliese C (Co-chairs) Co-occurring psychological and behavioral problems in adolescents and adults with features of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Assessment and characteristics. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Toronto Canada; 2011.Type: OtherCrossref
-
Keith Muller (1989). Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences . Technometrics, 31(4), 499-500. Informa UK Limited.OpenAlex