Brief Report: Initial Evidence of Depressive Symptom Disparities among Black and White Transition Age Autistic Youth

This study examined racial differences in depressive symptoms among autistic transition-age youth. This study is important given the dearth of studies on racial disparities in autism and depression research. A thorough search of scholarly literature on autism and depression found no current literature that specifically examines potential racial differences in autistic youth experiencing depression or depressive symptoms, making this study among the first.

Our primary finding from this preliminary study suggests that Black autistic participants had significantly higher depressive symptoms than White autistic participants, which presents initial evidence of a Black/White racial disparity among autistic youth experiencing depressive symptoms.

Read more here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05242-y