Anxiety and depression in neurodivergent students explored

Two new studies offer insights into the risk for anxiety and depression in students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and/ or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

In the first study, researchers in the United States explored rates of anxiety and depression in autistic and non-autistic students. Analyzing data from the 2021 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), Diego Aragon-Guevara and colleagues found that “autistic students reported significantly higher rates of anxiety (64.5%), and depression (48.2%) compared to their non-autistic peers (9.4% and 7.6%, respectively).” The researchers also found that both autistic and non-autistic female students reported elevated rates of depression and anxiety compared to male students.

They conclude, “These findings highlight the elevated mental health challenges faced by autistic students and underscore the need for increased research and support in post-secondary settings.”

In a second study, researchers in the United Kingdom, Denmark, and China compared the “emotional burden” of adolescent school children with ASD and/or ADHD to that of neurotypical teens. Steve Lukito and colleagues enrolled 735 children between 11 and 16 years of age in their study. The researchers asked the participants to complete the My Emotions in School Inventory (MESI), which asks about the frequency of 24 common upsetting events and how upsetting each one was. Emotional burden scores were calculated based on both the number of events and the intensity with which participants experienced each one.

The researchers report that compared to neurotypical students, neurodivergent students experienced a significantly higher emotional burden in school. Autistic children most often were affected by difficult peer interactions, while children with ADHD often reported upsetting events involving teachers. Emotional burden scores correlated significantly with depression and anxiety.

The researchers note that while it is widely believed that depression and anxiety in neurodivergent children are due to deficits in self-regulation of negative emotions, their study suggests that both emotion regulation deficits and emotional burden are linked to these problems. Study coauthor Edmund Sonuga-Barke comments, “This highlights the potential value of school-based interventions designed both to help schools reduce upsetting experiences and to help students manage those negative experiences that remain.”

Citations

“Prevalence of anxiety and depression in autistic and non-autistic college students: a brief report,” Diego A. Aragon-Guevara, Jennifer M. Gillis Mattson, and Hyejung Kim, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, May 21, 2025 (online). Address: Diego Aragon-Guevara, Dept. of Psychology, SUNY Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902, [email protected].

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“Study uncovers alarming anxiety rates among autistic college students,” news release, Binghamton University, August 12, 2025.

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“Emotional burden in school as a source of mental health problems associated with ADHD and/or autism: Development and validation of a new co-produced self-report measure,” Steve Lukito, Susie Chandler, Myrofora Kakoulidou, Kirsty Griffiths, Anna Wyatt, Eloise Funnell, Georgia Pavlopoulou, Sylvan Baker, Daniel Stahl, and Edmund Sonuga-Barke, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, July 2025 (free online). Address: Edmund Sonuga-Barke, School of Academic Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, DeCrespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK, [email protected].

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“Neurodivergent adolescents experience twice the emotional burden at school compared to neurotypical peers,” news release, King’s College London, July 28, 2025.