The role of urban context in the relationship between anxiety symptoms and autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Several investigations demonstrated a remarkable prevalence of comorbid anxiety symptoms in people affected by an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This prevalence is much higher than the one observed in the normotypical population. This research aims to clarify whether context moderates this association between anxiety and autism. One hundred twenty-one adults (M = 35.46 years¸ SD = 9.46) with ASD and intellectual disability (ID) participated in this study. A moderation analysis was performed to determine the role of context – rural or urban – in the development of anxiety symptoms in people with ASD. The results reached allow us to conclude that the urban context significantly moderated the relationship between ASD and anxiety symptoms. These results suggest implications for preventing or reducing anxiety symptoms in people with ASD and ID related to the characteristics of the context in which they develop.