Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE), IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society, University College London, UK.
Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, UK.
Autism. 2023 Aug;27(6):1676-1689. doi: 10.1177/13623613221143590. Epub 2023 Jan 4.
Many autistic adults experience public stigma, which refers to negative attitudes and treatment from others. Because of that, some autistic adults may also apply unhelpful beliefs to themselves, which is known as internalised stigma. There is some evidence that both public stigma and internalised stigma are linked to poorer mental health in autistic adults. Clearly, it is crucial to change how society thinks and acts towards autistic people. There are several programmes that are trying to do this. But as change can be slow, support may also be needed to help autistic people cope with and challenge stigma. Using an online survey, we gathered the views of 144 autistic adults and parents/caregivers of autistic people in the United Kingdom on whether a stigma support programme for autistic adults is needed and, if so, what it should 'look' like. Most participants felt it was important for autistic adults to have support in managing stigma because of the harmful effects that stigma has on mental health and the challenges that autistic adults face in disclosing their diagnosis. However, participants were also concerned that such a programme could convey the message that autistic people, rather than society, need to change. Participants suggested that the programme should be positive and practical, helping autistic adults to understand and accept themselves, as well as learn context-specific strategies for responding to stigma and/or disclosing their diagnosis. They also stressed that the programme should be flexible and inclusive, recognising that autistic adults have very different needs and preferences.
许多自闭症成年人都经历过公众污名化，这是指他人对他们的负面态度和对待方式。正因为如此，一些自闭症成年人可能也会对自己产生无益的信念，这被称为内化污名。有一些证据表明，公众污名化和内化污名都与自闭症成年人的心理健康状况较差有关。显然，改变社会对自闭症患者的看法和行为至关重要。有几个项目正在努力实现这一目标。但由于改变可能很缓慢，可能还需要支持来帮助自闭症患者应对和挑战污名化。我们通过在线调查，收集了英国 144 名自闭症成年人和自闭症患者的父母/照顾者的意见，了解他们是否需要一个针对自闭症成年人的污名支持计划，如果需要，该计划应该是什么样的。大多数参与者认为，自闭症成年人在管理污名方面需要支持，因为污名对心理健康有有害影响，而且自闭症成年人在披露自己的诊断方面面临挑战。然而，参与者也担心这样的计划可能会传达这样一种信息，即自闭症患者而不是社会需要改变。参与者建议该计划应该是积极和实用的，帮助自闭症成年人了解和接受自己，以及学习针对具体情况的应对污名和/或披露诊断的策略。他们还强调，该计划应该灵活和包容，认识到自闭症成年人有非常不同的需求和偏好。
