Hotez Emily, Rava Julianna A, Shea Lindsay, Kuo Alice
General Internal Medicine, University of California Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA.
Public Health, University of California Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, USA.
Cureus. 2023 Jun 28;15(6):e41102. doi: 10.7759/cureus.41102. eCollection 2023 Jun.
Neurodivergent emerging adults - defined as individuals between the ages of 18 and 30 with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (e.g., attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, seizures, developmental delays, with or without intellectual impairment) and physical and/or sensory disabilities (e.g., blindness or hearing impairment) - experience poor mental and physical health outcomes. Existing interventions are insufficient because they are not based on the self-reported and developmental needs of this population.
The current study is an exploratory pilot study that features a multidimensional health-based needs assessment of self-identified neurodivergent emerging adults with ADHD, learning disabilities, autism, and other conditions, mean (M) age = 22.8; standard deviation (SD) = 3.4; n = 26). This research used validated measures. The assessment - administered via Qualtrics to the participants in two sites - included the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form, Kessler-6 Psychological Distress Scale, Project EAT (Eating and Activity over Time)-IV (with the intuitive eating, weight-related control, emotional eating, and physical activity subscales), and an original health-focused needs assessment developed by interdisciplinary healthcare professionals and neurodivergent individuals.
The sample reported low positive mental health, with only 3% reportedly "flourishing." The sample also reported high psychological distress according to clinical and psychometric cut-off scores; varied intuitive eating and weight-control behaviors and attitudes; and distinct needs related to integrating the principles of health promotion into daily life, navigating the healthcare system, and learning from healthcare professionals. Based on these findings, we present an initial conceptualization of "Adulting for Health," a potential virtual education program to promote health-related knowledge and capacities for this population.
The results from this exploratory pilot study can be incorporated into existing programs and spur efforts to develop and test new interventions that can ameliorate health disparities for neurodivergent emerging adults.
神经发育障碍的新兴成年人——定义为年龄在18至30岁之间，患有智力和/或发育障碍（如注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）、自闭症、脑瘫、学习障碍、癫痫、发育迟缓，有无智力障碍）以及身体和/或感官障碍（如失明或听力障碍）的个体——身心健康状况不佳。现有的干预措施并不充分，因为它们并非基于该人群自我报告的需求和发展需求。
本研究是一项探索性试点研究，对自我认定患有ADHD、学习障碍、自闭症和其他病症的神经发育障碍新兴成年人进行了基于健康的多维需求评估，平均年龄（M）=22.8岁；标准差（SD）=3.4；n = 26）。本研究使用了经过验证的测量方法。该评估通过Qualtrics在两个地点向参与者进行，包括心理健康连续体简表、凯斯勒6项心理困扰量表、“随时间推移的饮食与活动”项目（EAT）-IV（包括直觉饮食、体重相关控制、情绪化饮食和身体活动子量表），以及由跨学科医疗专业人员和神经发育障碍个体开发的原始健康需求评估。
样本报告的积极心理健康水平较低，据报告只有3%的人“状态良好”。根据临床和心理测量学的临界分数，样本还报告了较高的心理困扰；不同的直觉饮食和体重控制行为及态度；以及在将健康促进原则融入日常生活、应对医疗系统和向医疗专业人员学习方面的独特需求。基于这些发现，我们提出了“为健康成人”的初步概念，这是一个潜在的虚拟教育项目，旨在为该人群促进健康相关知识和能力。
这项探索性试点研究的结果可纳入现有项目，并推动开发和测试新干预措施的努力，以改善神经发育障碍新兴成年人的健康差距。
