Supervisors info:
Αικατερίνη Παπανικολάου, Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Γεράσιμος Κολαΐτης, Καθηγητής , Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Γεώργιος Γιαννακόπουλος, Επίκουρος Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
Background: Adolescents with High Functioning Autism (HFA) become frequently victims of bullying. More severe symptomatology of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is associated with the increased victimization of adolescents with HFA and with lower perceived social support which in turn is related to the victimization of adolescents with HFA.
Aim: the examination of the mediation of the perceived social support in the relationship between the severity of ASD symptomatology and the victimization of adolescents with HFA. Further aims are the investigation of the relationship between the severity of ASD symptomatology and the perceived social support with their victimization.
Methods: 76 adolescents with HFA (77,6% boys and 22,4% girls, with mean age 15,2) originating from Day Centers, Centers of Special Therapies, Creative Employment, the Children’s Hospital “Agia Sofia”, Associations of individuals with ASD and their parents participated. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the subscale of victimization of self of the Peer Experiences Questionnaire, the Social Communication Questionnaire- Current and questionnaires for sociodemographic information were administered.
Results: Adolescents with more severe ASD symptomatology (β=0,34, p=,028) according to SCQ-C and greater number of comorbid disorders (β=1,87, p=,033) were experiencing bullying more frequently, according to PEQ while adolescents with lower perceived social support according to MSPSS were victimized less frequently (β=-3,75, p<,001). The perceived social support partially mediated the relationship between the severity of ASD symptomatology and the victimization of adolescents with HFA (β=-3,75, p<,001).
Conclusions: These findings can provide directions for the development of more effective programs for the treatment of bullying, targeted to the improvement of social, communication and behavioral skills and social support network of adolescents with HFA.
Keywords:
HFA, Adolescence, School bullying, Perceived social support
