Are you an autistic adult? Do you have anxiety symptoms or have you experienced them in the past?

If this applies to you, Swansea University would like to invite you to participate in their project by filling out this survey.

This project forms part of a dissertation called “An exploration of difficulties faced by autistic adults when attempting to access help with anxiety symptoms”. This is being completed as part of a MSc in Autism and Related Conditions at Swansea University Medical School. The student researcher is Rachel Green and the supervisor is Dr Gareth Noble.

Autistic adults have been found to experience many of the barriers to healthcare encountered by people with other disabilities. These may affect them at higher rates than the general population and unique autism specific barriers have been reported. Previous research has found that autistic individuals described difficulties accessing appropriate treatment and support for mental health conditions. Anxiety disorders are thought to be highly prevalent among autistic adults.

This research project aims to explore difficulties faced by autistic adults when attempting to access help with anxiety symptoms. The main research tool for the project is a questionnaire with a mixture of closed multiple choice questions and open ended questions. It’s estimated that the questionnaire will take no longer than fifteen to twenty minutes to complete.

Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary. All information you provide is completely anonymous. You can withdraw at any time without giving a reason prior to submitting the completed questionnaire. Once the questionnaire has been completed your data will be unidentifiable due to the anonymous nature of the project. Therefore, at this stage it cannot be retracted.

The results of this research will be available to members of Swansea University and they hope to publish the findings in an academic journal.

This topic has the potential to distress individuals taking part. As it is in the form of an online questionnaire you can take as many breaks as necessary if you feel you need to. You can stop completing the questionnaire at any time.

There are no immediate benefits for people taking part in the project. However, it is hoped that this research will increase understanding of the experiences of autistic adults. More understanding will lead to more useful interventions, support and accommodations for autistic adults in the future.