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Title
A Brief Report on the 2.4-Year Test-Retest Agreement of Morning Cortisol and Anxiety in Boys with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008:
Publication Date
2019-02-15
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008
Early Online Version
Abstract
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) also often suffer from elevated stress and anxiety. These states can be measured via reports of behaviour (from self or others) or from physiological measures of stress, including the symptoms of Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and salivary cortisol, respectively. The use of these measures assumes a degree of reliability over time so that data from a specific period may be generalised to other periods. To measure the test-retest reliability of salivary cortisol and self-ratings of GAD in 27 high-functioning boys with ASD (M age = 12.1 yr., SD = 2.8 yr), samples were collected a mean of 2.4 yr. (SD = 0.5 yr) apart and analysed to test for the presence of a significant correlation within each variable over time. Results indicated that, although the concentrations of salivary cortisol increased over the period of the study, there was a significant correlation between the two measures of cortisol. GAD scores also showed a significant correlation over the period of the study. These findings suggest that both GAD and salivary cortisol data collected from boys with ASD may be reasonably inferred to represent fairly stable phenomena over time in research and clinical settings.
Publication Type
Journal Article
Source of Publication
Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 31(1), p. 103-114
Publisher
Springer New York LLC
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020
2018-09-18
Place of Publication
United States of America
ISSN
1573-3580
1056-263X
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020
Peer Reviewed
Yes
HERDC Category Description
Peer Reviewed
Yes
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