Inner experiences, mental health, and well-being in autistic and non-autistic adults

Abstract

The nature of autistic adults' everyday inner experiences has been largely unstudied. The purpose of this study was to examine patterns of inner experiences and how they relate to mental health and wellness among autistic and non-autistic adults. Autistic (n = 303) and non-autistic (n = 289) adults (ages 21–82) completed online surveys assessing their anxiety, depression, happiness, life satisfaction, and inner thinking patterns, (inner speaking [i.e., verbal thinking], inner seeing [i.e., visual thinking], unsymbolized thinking, feelings, sensory awareness, self-talk). Group differences in inner thinking were examined using Mann–Whitney U and chi-square tests. Correlations and multiple linear regressions examined associations between inner experiences, mental health, and well-being. Autistic adults had greater use of inner speaking and sensory awareness, compared to non-autistic adults. The most common primary mode of inner experience for both groups was inner speaking, while fewer autistic adults reported that experiencing thoughts as feelings was their primary modality. Autistic adults reported greater use of self-talk for social assessment, self-criticism, and self-management purposes, compared to non-autistic adults. Experiencing thoughts as inner speech and as feelings were associated with anxiety in both groups. Using self-talk for social assessment and self-criticism purposes was correlated with anxiety and depression in both groups, while using self-talk for self-management was associated with depression and anxiety only among autistic adults. The results suggest that autistic and non-autistic adults have similarities in overall patterns of inner thinking, yet autistic adults may be more likely to engage in self-talk as a strategy to manage challenging day-to-day experiences.