Bayeh Rebeca, Ryder Andrew G
Department of Psychology, Fordham University, New York City, New York, United States.
Culture, Health, and Personality Lab and Centre for Clinical Research in Health, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Québec, Canada.
Autism Adulthood. 2025 Aug 11;7(4):447-461. doi: 10.1089/aut.2024.0120. eCollection 2025 Aug.
There is community knowledge shared among autistic and other neurodivergent (ND) communities that ND individuals are more likely to share other non-normative identities, along with research demonstrating that ND individuals have worse mental health outcomes than neurotypicals (NTs). The purpose of this study is to assess how co-occurrence of neurodivergence with other minority statuses impacts distress and discrimination among students in a large university student sample ( = 2206) in Canada and to examine representation of ND students across different identities and minority groups.
Participants were recruited to an online survey and coded based on reported gender, sexuality, racial and linguistic groups, citizenship status, relationship preferences, religiosity, socioeducational profile, and neurodivergencies. Psychological distress was assessed using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and experience of discrimination was assessed using the Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS). Analyses of variance were conducted to examine the differences in DASS-21 and EDS scores between ND and non-ND groups across different groups.
ND participants were more likely to share Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and other nonheterosexual and gender-expansive identities and to engage in nonconventional relationship dynamics, academic trajectories, and spiritual paths. White participants were proportionally more represented among NDs than non-White participants, which might reflect cultural and systemic factors. ND participants had higher scores in all subscales of the DASS-21 but not the EDS. Main and interaction effects in DASS-21 scores were observed between neurodivergence and gender, racial group, and income, and main effects were observed in nonheterosexual participants. Main and interaction effects were found between neurodivergence and racial and linguistic minority statuses in discrimination scores.
Results of this study reflect the community-based understanding that ND individuals are more likely to share other non-normative identities and enlighten the impact of race, gender, and linguistic status on the mental health of ND university students. Our findings endorse a culturally sensitive approach for supporting neurominoritized students.
在自闭症及其他神经差异（ND）群体中存在一种社区共识，即神经差异个体更有可能具有其他非规范性身份认同，同时研究表明，与神经典型（NT）个体相比，神经差异个体的心理健康状况更差。本研究的目的是评估在加拿大一个大型大学生样本（n = 2206）中，神经差异与其他少数群体身份的共现如何影响学生的痛苦和歧视经历，并考察神经差异学生在不同身份和少数群体中的代表性。
招募参与者进行在线调查，并根据报告的性别、性取向、种族和语言群体、公民身份、关系偏好、宗教信仰、社会教育背景和神经差异进行编码。使用抑郁、焦虑和压力量表（DASS - 21）评估心理痛苦，使用日常歧视量表（EDS）评估歧视经历。进行方差分析以检验不同群体中神经差异组和非神经差异组在DASS - 21和EDS得分上的差异。
神经差异参与者更有可能具有双性人、女同性恋、男同性恋、双性恋、跨性别、酷儿、疑问及其他非异性恋和性别扩展身份认同，并参与非传统的关系动态、学术轨迹和精神路径。与非白人参与者相比，白人参与者在神经差异者中所占比例更高，这可能反映了文化和系统性因素。神经差异参与者在DASS - 21的所有子量表上得分更高，但在EDS上得分没有更高。在DASS - 21得分中观察到神经差异与性别、种族群体和收入之间的主效应和交互效应，在非异性恋参与者中观察到主效应。在歧视得分中发现神经差异与种族和语言少数群体身份之间存在主效应和交互效应。
本研究结果反映了基于社区的一种认识，即神经差异个体更有可能具有其他非规范性身份认同，并揭示了种族、性别和语言状况对神经差异大学生心理健康的影响。我们的研究结果支持采用文化敏感方法来支持神经少数群体学生。
