A Measurement Invariance Analysis of the Anxiety Scale for Autism-Adults in a Sample of Autistic and Non-Autistic Men and Women

The Anxiety Scale for Autism-Adults (ASA-A) captures the autistic anxiety experience, but we do not know whether it is structurally equivalent for men and women, or non-autistic people. Measurement invariance analysis considered gender and diagnostic status (342 cis-gender autistic men (N = 105) and...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of autism and developmental disorders 2024-05
Main Authors: Moore, Heather L, Freeston, Mark, Rodgers, Jacqui, Cassidy, Sarah
Format: Article
Language:English
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The Anxiety Scale for Autism-Adults (ASA-A) captures the autistic anxiety experience, but we do not know whether it is structurally equivalent for men and women, or non-autistic people. Measurement invariance analysis considered gender and diagnostic status (342 cis-gender autistic men (N = 105) and women (N = 237), 316 cis-gender non-autistic men (N = 104) and women (N = 212)). Strict invariance was achieved between autistic men and women and between non-autistic men and women, but the ASA-A structure is quantitatively different in autistic compared to non-autistic adults. Therefore, this tool cannot be used to directly compare anxiety between these groups. Autistic women scored significantly higher on the ASA-A than autistic men and Uncertainty was the highest scoring factor for autistic participants. Future research should include alternative gender identities.
ISSN:0162-3257
1573-3432
DOI:10.1007/s10803-024-06260-2