The impact of the Great Recession on autistic adults and their mothers
A recent longitudinal study examined how the 2007-2009 Great Recession impacted autistic adults and their mothers. Using data spanning before and after the recession, the authors aimed to identify potential areas of vulnerability as well as resilience for these families during major economic downturns.
Not surprisingly, the results demonstrate worsened mental health and increased behavioural issues for autistic adults following the recession. Specifically, after previously improving, problem behaviours rose significantly during the recession and then plateaued post-recession rather than continuing to decrease. The proportion of autistic adults moving away from the family home also slowed compared to pre-recession trends of increasing independence. These findings point to disrupted progress and stalled community participation goals for these individuals.
Mothers in the study also faced a greater mental health burden, exhibiting higher depressive symptoms after compared to before the recession. However, several areas of resilience were noted as well. Neither the physical health nor the vocational engagement of autistic adults declined due to the recession. Additionally, mothers’ physical health and employment remained largely stable throughout the study period. Whilst highlighting some specific vulnerabilities, these generally positive outcomes overall suggest formidable coping skills and an adequate social support system helped buffer these families against some potential recession impacts.
But …
In the Method - Sample and Procedure section, details are provided about the sample:
The data comes from a larger longitudinal study of 406 families with adolescents and autistic adults.
Participants lived in Wisconsin (n = 202) or Massachusetts (n = 204).
Inclusion criteria were that the autistic individual was aged 10 or older, had an autism diagnosis from a health/educational professional, and had a research-administered ADI-R profile consistent with their diagnosis.
94.6% of the autistic individuals met lifetime ADI-R criteria for autistic disorder. The rest were verified to have profiles consistent with their diagnosis.
The autistic individuals averaged 21.9 years old at the initial time point. Approximately 73% were male.
Just over 70% had intellectual disability in addition to autism. (So, Level 2 and above?)
At the initial time point, the mothers averaged 51.2 years old and 92.6% were White/Caucasian.
54.9% of the mothers did not have a college degree. 75.9% were married.
The median household income was $50,000-60,000, with a range of socioeconomic diversity represented.
Might this present a problem in attempting to apply the results to the greater autistic population? There is a point to be made that there are a few aspects of the sample that may limit the generalisability of the findings to the broader autistic population:
The sample lacked diversity - it was overwhelmingly White/Caucasian and non-Hispanic, so the impacts observed may not translate to cultures’ experiences of the Recession. Different cultural factors play a role as well.
A large majority (70%) of the autistic individuals were characterized as having intellectual disability in addition to autism. Individuals without an intellectual disability may have different recessionary experiences.
The families were relatively economically stable at baseline - over 30% had annual household incomes above $70,000. Families already facing economic adversity pre-recession could exhibit different patterns.
Regional economic variations were not accounted for - recruiting from only two states may produce experiences not representative of the country as a whole.
Whilst the study still provides some insights, there is a point to be made that the specific sample does present challenges in extending the conclusions to the very heterogeneous autism population nationwide, or world wide. Researchers should aim to repeat this work with more diverse samples, as well as consider how intellectual functioning, socioeconomic status, and geographic region might moderate recession impacts. Continuing to illuminate factors that engender vulnerability or resilience has important implications for targeting supports and services.