Abstract
Objectives
The purpose of this research was to develop normative data on overall and sub-group stress scores for the Stress Survey Schedule (SSS) for a group of persons with Intellectual Disability and related disorders.
Method
This was a retrospective observational study that utilized Stress Survey Schedule data collected between 2002 and 2021. Historical data was collected on 155 students with Intellectual Disability and related disorders, age 6 to 19.
Results
The “Food-Related Activity” and “Changes and Threats” sub-group scores were significantly higher than the “Pleasant Events” and “Social Emotional Interactions” sub-group scores. Additional comparisons of stress scores by gender and age, and autism diagnosis compared to no autism diagnosis found few differences among sub-group scores. An examination of commonly high and low scoring stressors for each age group found consistency mainly among the younger age groups. For the oldest group, the most common high scoring items were significantly different, suggesting that as persons in this diagnostic group enter young adulthood, what is stressful tends to shift into different areas.
Conclusions
For this population, overall stress is rated as moderate and averaged scores of identified sub-scales are generally consistent across gender, as well as childhood, adolescent and young adult age groups. Items rated as low and high stress tend to be consistent for younger participants, and then change as participants enter young adulthood.
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Data Availability
The data for this project is maintained at the Groden Center in a secured database. Access to the data can be arranged by contacting the authors.
References
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Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the work of Dr. June Groden in creating the Stress Survey Schedule, which is only one of her many contributions to the field. She made this research possible by conceptualizing the important role of stress in autism, as well as by creating an organization that values and supports research activities. This organization is the sole funder of this work. In addition, she has created and continues to support services and innovative interventions focused on self-control that have helped thousands of persons with developmental disabilities lead meaningful and positive lives.
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Contributions
Cooper Woodard led the project administration and was responsible for the original draft of the manuscript and revisions to the manuscript.
Janette Baird provided data curation and formal statistical analysis for this project.
Kaitlyn Anderson provided investigation support by collecting data and creating/revising the databases.
June Groden provided the conceptualization for this research and ongoing mentorship.
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Ethics Approval
These data were de-identified and reviewed by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Groden Center. The study was approved and identified as exempt by the IRB.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
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Woodard, C., Baird, J., Anderson, K. et al. The Stress Survey Schedule (SSS): Trends and Normative Data on a Sample of Children with Severe Autism and Related Developmental Disabilities. Adv Neurodev Disord 7, 557–565 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-023-00315-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-023-00315-8