Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Psychosocial Well-being and Adaptation in Children and Adolescents with Asperger’s Syndrome

Marta Tremolada (), Mariangela Rosa, Roberta Maria Incardona, Livia Taverna and Michele Guidi
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Marta Tremolada: Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padua, 35131 Padua, Italy
Mariangela Rosa: Cooperativa Progetto Insieme, Via Cappello 44, Noventa Padovana, 35027 Padua, Italy
Roberta Maria Incardona: Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplant Center, Department of Woman’s and Child’s Health, University of Padua, 35128 Padua, Italy
Livia Taverna: Faculty of Education, Free University of Bolzano-Bozen, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
Michele Guidi: Cooperativa Progetto Insieme, Via Cappello 44, Noventa Padovana, 35027 Padua, Italy

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-14

Abstract: Mental health could worsen in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, their parents could be more at risk for an increase in anxiety and depression symptomatology. This study aims to understand the adaptation and the psychosocial well-being in a sample of 16 males aged 10–21 years old with Asperger’s syndrome after the quarantine for COVID-19 when they return to school and partially to their activities in September 2020. The adopted approach is multi-informant with a battery of questionnaires on psychological health and adaptation given by a secure online web data Qualtrics both to adolescents and also to their parents. Paralleling matched peers with typical developments were assessed by adopting the same methodology. The results evidenced several difficulties in psychological health in population with Asperger’s syndrome, especially in anxiety and socialization. Adaptation is put in crisis, even if they reported a good comprehension and adoption of the right behaviors anti-COVID-19. Parents of children with Asperger’s syndrome reported similar psychological difficulties and general health to those of the group of children typically developing. Some clinical indications could be discussed for psychologists who follow children and adolescents with Asperger’s syndrome.

Keywords: Asperger’s syndrome; atypically development; COVID-19; children; adolescents; typically development; parents; adaptation; well-being; multi-informant (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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