International Study says in Forbes: “Autistic individuals feel least accepted in Belgium and Japan, facing high depression and anxiety rates.”
A revealing international study involving autistic individuals from eight different countries, recently published in the American business magazine Forbes, shows that autistic people feel least accepted in Belgium and Japan.
In Belgium, 54% of respondents felt unwelcome or out of place in society, and 49% said that Belgian society did not recognize and accept them as autistic individuals. Japan was slightly worse.
Researchers view autism acceptance as the recognition and positive valuation of someone’s autism, both by others and by themselves. They consider it a crucial factor for the well-being of autistic individuals, who, as the study notes, are at an increased risk of psychiatric disorders, mental health issues, and even early death.
The prevalence of depression and anxiety among autistic adults is particularly high in Belgium and Japan, with nearly half of the autistic population living with these conditions.
According to researchers, this is due to various factors. Difficulty in identifying and expressing emotions is one such factor. A more significant factor is the increasing societal marginalization of autistic individuals whose ‘profiles’ usually do not match the portrayal and reporting in the media because it is too overtly positive or negative.
The suffering caused by minority stressors, such as discrimination and internalized stigma, seems to be increasing significantly. Furthermore, researchers emphasize the link between social stressors, such as a growing lack of autism acceptance, and an increasing pressure to camouflage, leading to higher levels of anxiety and depression. Especially people who do not fit the profiles portrayed in the media, like some autistic women and individuals with more pronounced autistic traits and comorbidities, are becoming increasingly isolated from society.
Connor Keating of the School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham, the lead author of the study, stresses the importance of addressing autism stigma and reducing the burden on autistic individuals to hide their true selves. This call to action resonates with the need for a global shift towards greater understanding, acceptance, and support for the autistic community, not only to mitigate the associated mental health risks but also to value the unique perspectives and contributions of autistic individuals, no matter how far they may seem from the everyday life of the average person
