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<p>Rates of depression are elevated in autistic and/or ADHD adolescents, but the reasons for this are unclear. We have previously shown that autistic and/or ADHD adolescents experience twice the school-related emotional burden of the non-ADHD/non-autistic control peers. Using a new self-report measure, the <i>My Emotional Responses in School Inventory</i> (MERSI), we now examine how autistic and/or ADHD students’ responses <i>after being upset</i>—often <i>pathologised</i> as “emotional dysregulation”—are associated with mental health. The 20-item MERSI was co-produced with neurodivergent young adults to measure adolescents’ responses after being made upset in school. It was administered to 732 secondary school students (ADHD [<i>n</i> = 100]; autism [<i>n</i> = 100]; ADHD+autism [<i>n</i> = 79]; non-ADHD/non-autistic control [<i>n</i> = 453]) alongside measures of depression, anxiety, emotion regulation difficulties, and emotional burden. The MERSI had three factors: (1<i>)</i> outward distress expressions, (2) inward distress expressions, and (3) solution-focused responses, and satisfactory reliability. Outward distress expressions were more likely for ADHD than non-ADHD, and for autistic than the control group. Autistic and/or ADHD students reported similarly higher inward distress expressions than controls. Solution-focused responses were less likely in ADHD. Inward distress expressions improved the prediction of depression and anxiety beyond emotional burden alone. Solution-focused responses were associated with lower anxiety in both ADHD groups relative to controls. Autistic and/or ADHD students respond differently after being upset at school than control peers. Our findings highlight the importance of monitoring students’ responses after being upset, especially in the cross-sectional prediction of anxiety and depression, to be further clarified through longitudinal data.</p>

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Autistic and ADHD adolescents respond differently to upset in school: evidence from a new questionnaire co-designed from the neurodivergent point of view

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月1日

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  • Steve Lukito,
  • Susie Chandler,
  • Myrofora Kakoulidou,
  • Kirsty Griffiths,
  • Eloise Funnell,
  • Anna Wyatt,
  • Sylvan Baker,
  • Daniel Stahl,
  • Georgia Pavlopoulou,
  • Edmund J. S. Sonuga-Barke,
  • Georgia Pavlopoulou,
  • Edmund JS Sonuga-Barke

摘要

Rates of depression are elevated in autistic and/or ADHD adolescents, but the reasons for this are unclear. We have previously shown that autistic and/or ADHD adolescents experience twice the school-related emotional burden of the non-ADHD/non-autistic control peers. Using a new self-report measure, the My Emotional Responses in School Inventory (MERSI), we now examine how autistic and/or ADHD students’ responses after being upset—often pathologised as “emotional dysregulation”—are associated with mental health. The 20-item MERSI was co-produced with neurodivergent young adults to measure adolescents’ responses after being made upset in school. It was administered to 732 secondary school students (ADHD [n = 100]; autism [n = 100]; ADHD+autism [n = 79]; non-ADHD/non-autistic control [n = 453]) alongside measures of depression, anxiety, emotion regulation difficulties, and emotional burden. The MERSI had three factors: (1) outward distress expressions, (2) inward distress expressions, and (3) solution-focused responses, and satisfactory reliability. Outward distress expressions were more likely for ADHD than non-ADHD, and for autistic than the control group. Autistic and/or ADHD students reported similarly higher inward distress expressions than controls. Solution-focused responses were less likely in ADHD. Inward distress expressions improved the prediction of depression and anxiety beyond emotional burden alone. Solution-focused responses were associated with lower anxiety in both ADHD groups relative to controls. Autistic and/or ADHD students respond differently after being upset at school than control peers. Our findings highlight the importance of monitoring students’ responses after being upset, especially in the cross-sectional prediction of anxiety and depression, to be further clarified through longitudinal data.