Health and social characteristics of autistic adults in the UK-wide Adult Autism Spectrum Cohort (ASC-UK): A cross-sectional study

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. two authors of this publication are identified as autistic in the project.

About the autistic author marker

Brice, S., Petrou, A., Hamilton, J., McConachie, H., Le Couteur, A., Ingham, B., Wilson, C., Hardy, R., Berney, T., Mason, D., Garland, D., & Parr, J. R. (2026). Health and social characteristics of autistic adults in the UK-wide Adult Autism Spectrum Cohort (ASC-UK): A cross-sectional study. Research in Autism, 137, Article 202963. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reia.2026.202963

Publication date: 27 Jul 2026 Added to AutiHub: 4 Oct 2026 Type: Article Article language: English

This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:

Authors

Publication authors
12
Publication authors identified as autistic
2 / 12 (16.7%)

Abstract

Purpose This study aimed to characterise the health, social, and demographic circumstances of autistic adults in the UK using data from the Adult Autism Spectrum Cohort-UK (ASC-UK), a large, cross-sectional, population-based cohort. It sought to identify age- and gender-related differences in mental and physical health, healthcare access, employment, social relationships, and support needs. Methods Between 2015 and 2021, 2129 autistic adults (diagnosed or self-identified), aged 16 years and older, were recruited via diverse routes including NHS services and community organisations. Data were collected using a 78-item registration questionnaire covering ten domains of daily life and the Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-2). Responders were grouped into four age categories and compared using appropriate statistical tests including ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, Chi-square, and effect size measures. Results Autistic adults reported high rates of physical (e.g., gastrointestinal, obesity, arthritis) and mental health conditions (e.g., anxiety, depression), with notable gender and age variation. Females reported significantly more mental and physical health issues than males. Employment was lowest in the youngest and oldest groups and unemployment was associated with poor mental health. A substantial gap was found between needed and received support, particularly among females and those with complex health needs. Social deprivation was not significantly associated with health diagnoses. Conclusion Autistic adults across the UK experience substantial health disparities and unmet support needs. Gender and age influence outcomes, and healthcare services must adapt to improve access and equity. This study offers critical, lifespan-wide insights to inform policy, practice, and future longitudinal research.

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: 23 Oct 2026 07:45.

Cited references
72
With a DOI
55
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
17
11 / 72 (15.3%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
4 / 72 (5.6%)
References with detected author names
69 / 72 (95.8%)
Without detected author names
3
Without a structured title
4
Without a stable identifier
17
References with raw author names still to review
3
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
515
From DOI or external metadata
515
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
4
180 / 515 (35.0%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 335 / 515 (65.0%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
25 / 515 (4.9%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 25 / 180 (13.9%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 17 / 452 (3.8%).
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