Holly Hodges
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holly-hodges.bsky.social
Holly Hodges
@holly-hodges.bsky.social
PhD student @ University of Cambridge researching autistic peoples' mental health | she/her
Reposted by Holly Hodges
Baczewski et al (2025) interviewed 20 autistic LGBTQIA+ young adults to explore the challenges they face when seeking mental health care and what providers can do to better support them.

FREE until 24th December

www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1177/...
“They Didn’t Believe Me”: Barriers to Mental Health Care for Autistic LGBTQIA+ Young Adults—A Community-Partnered Study | Autism in Adulthood
Background: Autistic Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and/or Questioning (LGBTQIA+) people are at a greater risk for mental health challenges than their Autistic non-LGBT...
www.liebertpub.com
December 8, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Reposted by Holly Hodges
A qualitative analysis by @kanabaletti.bsky.social et al found that autistic adults face a conflict between balancing their desire for social connection with their limited energy for engaging in social experiences.

FREE until 25th November

www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1177/...
“Trapped in a No-Win Situation”: A Qualitative Exploration of Autistic Adults’ Experiences of Loneliness | Autism in Adulthood
Background: Loneliness is a major public health concern, affecting individuals’ mental and physical health. Autistic adults self-report higher levels of loneliness compared with non-autistic adults, y...
www.liebertpub.com
November 14, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Reposted by Holly Hodges
In an online survey by @tmburns08.bsky.social @drmbothapsych.bsky.social @durhampsych.bsky.social, autistic people had more distress and conflict around their identity and poorer mental health than non-autistic people.

FREE until November 25th

www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Who Am I: The Balance Between Masking and Identity | Autism in Adulthood
Background: Autistic people experience worse mental health outcomes than non-autistic people. Masking (concealing autistic traits) is found to relate to poor mental health. Research shows that autistic people indicate relationships between masking and difficulties creating or maintaining a sense of identity. Personal identity is rarely studied within autism research. This study aims to bridge this gap by exploring the connection between identity formation difficulties (both social and personal) and its impact on poor mental health in autistic people. It examines levels of identity conflict and distress in autistic and non-autistic people and whether identity distress mediates and identity conflict moderates the relationship between masking and psychological distress. Method: Data were collected for autistic (n = 139) and non-autistic people (n = 133) using an online survey. Results: Autistic people were found to experience higher levels of identity distress, conflict, and psychological distress. Identity distress represents a full mediation of the relationship between masking and psychological distress in the autistic cohort, but a partial mediation in the non-autistic cohort. Identity conflict did not moderate any relationships within the model for either cohort. However, it did have a significant direct relationship with masking identity distress and psychological distress. Conclusions: These findings suggest that autistic people may experience worse mental health outcomes due to difficulties with cohesive identity formation. Additional research into the role of autism in identity development may identify other areas in which identity difficulties negatively impact autistic people, such as long-term planning and suicidality.
www.liebertpub.com
November 12, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Reposted by Holly Hodges
September 24, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Reposted by Holly Hodges
Research by @xspcyau.bsky.social et al (2025) shows that miscommunication and misunderstandings between autistic adults and service providers are barriers to autistic adults seeking and receiving support for mental health and suicidality

FREE until 20th June

www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/...
June 9, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Reposted by Holly Hodges
“The Experience of Itch in Autistic Adults: An Online Survey” by Tackley et al (2025) finds that autistic adults report greater itch severity and itch-related impact on their daily life than non-autistic adults.

FREE until 20th June

www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/...
June 5, 2025 at 8:39 PM