Conceptualization of comorbid anxiety in autism spectrum disorder: An integrative literature review

Anxiety is highly comorbid in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), contributing to considerable impairments. In this account, the aim of study was to explore the explanations of anxiety in children and adolescents with ASD in relevant literature.

This study is an integrative literature review and 3 electronic databases- Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed – from 2000 to 2019 were searched using a comprehensive search strategy. As a result of this search, 576 articles retrieved.  According to a PRISMA method and use of an inclusion and exclusion criteria, 11 research papers were selected to enter the research.

According to the results of studies, 3 explanation have been found: The core symptoms of autism such as lack of social skills and Sensory Over-Responsivity underlie the anxiety in autism, Emotion regulation impairments underlie the anxiety in autism, and intolerance of uncertainty is a central factor in the emergence of anxiety in autism.

Children with autism spectrum disorder have some cognitive deficits and different cognitive architecture. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to these features and defects in explaining anxiety in autism and to present a conceptualization of anxiety in autism based on cognitive features.