A Systematic Review of Autistic Adults’ Experiences of Anxiety From a Qualitative Perspective

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.

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Da Silva, A. B., Berry, E., Craig, S., & Doumas, M. (2025). A Systematic Review of Autistic Adults’ Experiences of Anxiety From a Qualitative Perspective. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-025-07025-1

Journal or book title
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Publication date: 13 Dec 2025 Added to AutiHub: 27 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) Full text OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
4
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 4 (25.0%)
  1. Andrea Bianca Da Silva *
  2. Emma Berry
  3. Saskia Craig
  4. Michail Doumas

Abstract

Abstract Purpose Many autistic adults experience anxiety in ways that are qualitatively unique when compared to the experiences of non-autistic adults. In this systematic review we aimed to explore these experiences from a first-person perspective through a synthesis of qualitative evidence. Methods Our protocol development was guided by the PRISMA framework. A search strategy was implemented across three databases, and the evaluation of study quality was conducted using a standardized measure. A total of 11 studies exploring the experiences of anxiety in autistic adults from a first-person perspective were included in the review. Eligible research comprised qualitative and mixed methods studies where identifiable quotations from autistic adults were present. The study synthesized qualitative data from primary research published in English in peer-reviewed journals. The data extracted underwent analysis via thematic synthesis. Results Four descriptive themes were identified: “Describing Anxiety”, “Contributors to Anxiety”, “Impact of Anxiety” and “Managing Anxiety”. Three analytical themes were identified: “The Cyclical Nature of Anxiety”, “Feeling like the Other” and “Sensory Experiences as a Source and Expression of Anxiety”. Conclusion The current qualitative literature suggests that autistic experiences of anxiety are cyclical in nature, with factors that both converge and diverge with the non-autistic experience. Feelings of Othering can contribute to these issues, as well as being a barrier to support, while sensory experiences can play a role in the development, maintenance and soothing of anxious 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: 2 Oct 2026 17:07.

Cited references
41
With a DOI
36
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
5
4 / 41 (9.8%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
5 / 41 (12.2%)
References with detected author names
36 / 41 (87.8%)
Without detected author names
5
Without a structured title
5
Without a stable identifier
5
References with raw author names still to review
5
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
216
From DOI or external metadata
216
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
8
92 / 216 (42.6%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 124 / 216 (57.4%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
5 / 216 (2.3%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 5 / 92 (5.4%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 5 / 187 (2.7%).
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