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The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of a brief, telehealth intervention (the Emotional Support Plan), intended to support autistic adults to cope with their negative emotions during and/or after the COVID-19 pandemic. The first objective is to develop and refine a brief telehealth-delivered treatment, the Emotional Support Plan (ESP), to help promote adults to cope during periods of acute distress, such as those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second objective is to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the ESP to support autistic adults to implement emotion regulation strategies during periods of acute distress. The last objective is to yield preliminary data to apply for extramural grants to validate these methods to monitor and support mental health of autistic adults during key transitions (e.g., starting college).
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emotional Support Plan (ESP) + Weekly Monitoring | Experimental | This will involve weekly assessments without prompting to use the plan. |
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| Emotional Support Plan (ESP) + 4x Daily Monitoring | Experimental | Participants in this arm will be prompted on their phones 4x/day randomly, to report on activities, mood, suicidal ideation, distress level and ESP use since the last prompt |
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| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emotional Support Plan | Behavioral | The Emotional Support Plan (ESP) is designed to help adults to cope during periods of acute distress, such as those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Decreased distress on Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) | The PHQ-9, assessed weekly, is a 9-item questionnaire of psychological function over the past week with all items on a "0" (not at all) to "3" (nearly every day) scale. Higher scores equal more distress. | 8 week study period |
| Decreased distress on EMA reports | EMA (Ecological Momentary Assessment) reports of decreased distress (in ESP + daily monitoring group only). Higher scores on the item equal higher levels of distress. | 8 week study period |
| Decreased anxiety symptoms on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7) | The GAD-7, assessed weekly, is a 7-item questionnaire of anxiety symptoms over the past week with all items on a "0" (not at all) to "3" (nearly every day) scale. Higher scores equal more anxiety. | 8 week study period |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Self Report (ASR) | The ASR is a measure of adaptive functioning and psychopathology (e.g., anxiety, depression symptoms). Most of the items are on a 3 point scale including: (0) Not true, (1) Somewhat or sometimes true, and (2) Very often or often true. | 8 week study period |
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Inclusion Criteria Adults 18 years or older with previously established diagnoses in ASD will be invited to participate. Adults who have a verbal IQ above 70 or who are students admitted to a college or university will be included in the study.
Exclusion Criteria
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| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers University | Piscataway | New Jersey | 08854 | United States |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D013315 | Stress, Psychological |
| D000067877 | Autism Spectrum Disorder |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D001526 | Behavioral Symptoms |
| D001519 | Behavior |
| D002659 | Child Development Disorders, Pervasive |
| D065886 | Neurodevelopmental Disorders |
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| Daily Monitoring | Behavioral | The daily monitoring will remind participants 4x/day to report on their mood, distress, etc. and use their ESP if needed. |
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| D001523 | Mental Disorders |