Robertson, Meroe (2007) Stress, Mood and Behaviours in Children and Adolescents with Autism. Coursework Masters thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
The last decade has heralded a new perspective on Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Practitioners, scientists, parents and carers are now beginning to understand that ASD needs to be viewed in term of a diff-ability rather than a disability. Individuals with autism face many challenges as they move through life with the ability to clearly communicate their needs and desires, and sensory sensitivities being at the foremost. With the struggle often comes the need to communicate their discomfort or needs through behavioural expression. This research therefore sought to investigate the degree to which life factors for children and adolescents with autism are appraised as stressful, how their mood may effect or influence their appraisal skills and how these two constructs may lead to the characteristic behaviours seen in individuals with autism. A sample of 50 parents of children and adolescents with autism drawn from the general population participated in the study by contacting the researcher and completing the Stress Survey Schedule for Individuals with Autism & Other Pervasive Developmental Disorders (Groden et al., 2001), the Developmental Behaviour Checklist (Einfeld & Tonge, 2002) and the Profile of Mood States (Terry et al., 1999). Results show that these children and adolescents use a variety of behaviours in order to manage, self-regulate and express themselves when faced with stressful situations. Limitations of the study and implications for future research are discussed.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Coursework Masters) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Sciences - Department of Psychology (Up to 30 Jun 2013) |
| Supervisors: | Paul Bramston |
| Qualification: | Master of Psychology (Health) |
| Date Deposited: | 17 Nov 2025 23:29 |
| Last Modified: | 17 Nov 2025 23:29 |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52703 |
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