Brief Report: Gender Differences in Experiences of Peer Victimization Among Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder
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BRIEF REPORT
Brief Report: Gender Differences in Experiences of Peer Victimization Among Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder Jessica L. Greenlee1,2 · Marcia A. Winter2 · Isabel A. Marcovici2
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Peer victimization (PV) is a common problem for many adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and can negatively impact the mental health and well-being of these youth. Results of the current study of 105 adolescents with ASD (n = 50 girls, 55 boys) indicated that girls and boys experience similar types of PV at similar frequencies. However, relational victimization accounted for a significant portion of variance in anxiety symptoms, above and beyond social communication deficits and restricted and repetitive behaviors, in girls but not in boys. Findings provide preliminary evidence suggesting that the impact of PV on mental health symptoms may be different for girls and boys with ASD, highlighting the need for more research focused on understanding potentially unique social processes for adolescent girls with ASD. Keywords Peer victimization · Adolescence · Autism spectrum disorder · Girls · Mental health Peer interactions and relationships have long been viewed as a key feature of adolescence, and developmental science highlights both the positive and negative influences peers can have on adolescent mental health and well-being (Brown 2004). For adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social communication, and persistent patterns of restricted, repetitive behaviors (5th ed.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, APA 2013), this socially complex and demanding period may be especially challenging. A growing body of literature suggests that peer victimization (PV), or the experience of being the target of another’s aggressive or bullying behavior and social exclusion (Juvonen and Graham 2001), is a problem * Jessica L. Greenlee [email protected] Marcia A. Winter [email protected] Isabel A. Marcovici [email protected] 1
Present Address: The Waisman Center, The University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53705, USA
Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 808 West Franklin St., Box 842018, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
2
for youth with ASD. Adolescents with ASD are victimized at exceptionally high rates (46–94%), much more frequently than neurotypical (NT) youth (10–15%) and other disability groups (14–24%; Sreckovic et al. 2014; Troop-Gordon 2017; Twyman et al. 2010). However, empirical research has focused mainly on boys and has yet to determine whether adolescent girls with ASD have similar experiences as boys with ASD and how those experiences impact their wellbeing. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to examine gender differences in PV experiences in a sample of adolescents with ASD and to explore whether such experiences are associated with ASD and mental health symptoms similarly for gir
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