The Impact of Early Stages of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Autistic Adults in the United Kingdom: A Longitudinal Mixed-Methods Study

We used mixed methods to learn about the nature and drivers of mental health changes among autistic adults in the United Kingdom (UK) during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. In quantitative analyses, we examined the nature and predictors of change in depression, anxiety and stress, prospectively measured in 70 autistic adults at Wave 1 (just before the UK’s first lockdown) and Wave 2 (10-15 weeks into the UK’s first lockdown). Retrospective Wave 2 reports of mental health change were also analysed for these 70 participants. For the qualitative analysis, 133 participants (including the 70 from the quantitative analyses) provided reports on their experiences of the pandemic at Wave 2. In quantitative analyses, retrospective reports indicated that participants’ mental health worsened, but prospective data showed a different picture, with overall anxiety and stress scores reducing between Wave 1 and Wave 2. Nevertheless, the mental health impact of the pandemic on autistic adults was variable, with a sizeable minority reporting a significant decline in mental health. Qualitative analysis yielded four themes that contributed to mental health changes: (i) adjusting to changes to the social world, (ii) living with uncertainty, (iii) disruptions to self-regulation, and (iv) barriers to fulfilling basic needs.