Social‐cognitive, physiological, and neural mechanisms underlying emotion regulation impairments: understanding anxiety in autism spectrum disorder. Issue 39 (18th June 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: White, Susan W.; Mazefsky, Carla A.; Dichter, Gabriel S.; Chiu, Pearl H.; Richey, John A.; Ollendick, Thomas H.
• Is Part Of: International journal of developmental neuroscience. Issue 39(2014)
• Page Start: 22
• Page End: 36
• Publication Date: 2014-06-18
• Subjects: Autism -- Emotion regulation -- Anxiety -- Mechanism -- Developmental psychopathology; Developmental neurobiology -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Neurologie du développement -- Périodiques; Developmental neurobiology; Periodicals; 612.8
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2014.05.012
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0736-5748

Abstract

Abstract: Anxiety is one of the most common clinical problems among children, adolescents, and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet we know little about its etiology in the context of ASD. We posit that emotion regulation (ER) impairments are a risk factor for anxiety in ASD. Specifically, we propose that one reason why anxiety disorders are so frequently comorbid with ASD is because ER impairments are ubiquitous to ASD, stemming from socio‐cognitive, physiological, and neurological processes related to impaired cognitive control, regulatory processes, and arousal. In this review, we offer a developmental model of how ER impairments may arise in ASD, and when (moderating influences) and how (meditational mechanisms) they result in anxiety.