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Brief Report: Factors Influencing Healthcare Satisfaction in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

The current study investigated healthcare satisfaction and factors related to satisfaction in 92 adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Participants or their caregiver completed a survey about their experiences with primary care and specialty physicians. Respondents reported a high level of satisfaction with their healthcare. The only factor significantly associated with satisfaction was age, with participants under age 26 reporting significantly higher levels of satisfaction than participants above age 26. Participants under age 26 also were significantly more likely to live at home, have private health insurance, and have others making their healthcare decisions than participants above age 26. Results indicate that healthcare satisfaction can be high for adults with ASD that have good family and community support.

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Acknowledgments

Portions of these results were presented at the 2016 International Meeting for Autism Research. The authors wish to thank all of the study participants, Dr. Beth Jerskey, Ph.D., and Brittany Dunn, B.S., for their help with data collection, and Dr. Henry Sachs, M.D., for his overall support of the study.

Author Contributions

AHG participated in the study design, collected study data, and drafted the manuscript; CM participated in the statistical analysis and interpretation of the data, and helped draft the manuscript; TL participated in the design and coordination of the study and helped draft the manuscript; EMM participated in the design of the study and supervised the study; TA conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination and contributed to the writing of the manuscript; SJS participated in the design and coordination of the study, supervised the study, and helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Funding

This study was supported by grants from the Rhode Island Foundation and the Simons Autism Foundation Research Initiative (SFARI # 286756).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rhode Island Consortium for Autism Research and Treatment (RI-CART), E. P. Bradley Hospital, East Providence, RI, USA

    Alan H. Gerber, Carolyn E. B. McCormick, Eric M. Morrow, Thomas F. Anders & Stephen J. Sheinkopf

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    Carolyn E. B. McCormick, Todd P. Levine, Eric M. Morrow, Thomas F. Anders & Stephen J. Sheinkopf

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    Stephen J. Sheinkopf

  4. Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk, Women and Infants Hospital, 101 Dudley Street, Providence, RI, 02905, USA

    Carolyn E. B. McCormick, Todd P. Levine & Stephen J. Sheinkopf

  5. Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    Eric M. Morrow, Thomas F. Anders & Stephen J. Sheinkopf

Authors
  1. Alan H. Gerber
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  2. Carolyn E. B. McCormick
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  3. Todd P. Levine
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  4. Eric M. Morrow
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  5. Thomas F. Anders
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  6. Stephen J. Sheinkopf
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephen J. Sheinkopf.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Gerber, A.H., McCormick, C.E.B., Levine, T.P. et al. Brief Report: Factors Influencing Healthcare Satisfaction in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 47, 1896–1903 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3087-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3087-3

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