The Sexual Well-Being of Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders
The sexual functioning of people with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) remains poorly understood and has focused mostly on negative outcomes. Therefore, Dr. Shana Nichols and I conducted an on-line study aimed at developing a better understanding of the sexual well-being of adults with ASD living in the community. In this study, we explored the dyadic and solitary sexual well-being of individuals with self-reported High-Functioning Autism and Aspergers Syndrome (HFA/AS) who are and are not in a romantic relationship in a comprehensive and multidimensional fashion. This study has resulted in a number of publications.
We collaborated with Susan Voyer and Georgianna Reilly on our first article that was published in Autism. Participants were 85 women and 56 men who had been in at least one romantic relationship of three months or longer. Participants who were currently in a romantic relationship, but not those with more ASDs symptoms, reported more frequent dyadic affectionate and genital sexual activity and greater sexual assertiveness and sexual satisfaction. This points to the importance of context in an active sex life. After controlling for the first variante, men and indiviiduals with less autism symptomatology, particularly in the social and communication domains, generally reported significantly greater dyadic sexual well-being including greater sexual satisfaction assertiveness, arousability, and desire and lower sexual anxiety and fewer sexual problems. Symptomatology was not associated with solitary sexual well-being, although the men scored higher on the measures of solitary sexual well-being including more sexual thoughts, higher sexual desire, and more frequent solitary sexual activity; however, they had lower sexual knowledge. The pattern of gender differences was similar to those found with neurotypical individuals. We concluded that it is important that research and sexuality education with individuals with HAS/AS conceptualize sexual well-being as a multidimensional construct consisting of both dyadic and solitary aspects. This article has been published in Autism.
We collaborated with Susan Voyer on our second article which was published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Participants were 61 male and 68 female single individuals with and without prior relationship experience of three months or longer. In general participants reported positive sexual functioning. Participants without prior relationship experience were significantly younger and more likely to be male and identify as heterosexual. They reported significantly higher sexual anxiety, lower sexual arousability, lower dyadic desire, and fewer positive sexual cognitions. The men reported better sexual function than did the women in a number of areas. These results counter negative societal perceptions about the sexuality of high functioning individuals on the autism spectrum.
In our third publication which appeared in Sexuality and Disability, we demonstrated that the Interpersonal Exchange Model of Sexual Satisfaction (IEMSS) is valid for individuals with ASD regardless of gender, relationship duration, or extent of autism symptoms. However, participants with more autism symptoms related to social functioning reported lower sexual satisfaction as well as lower scores on all of the IEMSS components. These results indicate that the IEMSS can be used as a framework to study sexual satisfaciton in individuals with ASD.
We also have a chapter on sexuality and relationships in older adults with ASD in press that provides data on the older adults in our sample. We also have one other manuscript based on this study in preparation.
Publications based on this work:
Byers, E. S., Nichols, S., Voyer, S. D., & Reilly, G. (2012). Sexual well-being of a community sample of high functioning adults on the autism spectrum who have been in a romantic relationship. Autism. DOI: 10.1177/1362361311431950
Byers, E. S., Nichols, S., & Voyer, S. D. (2013). Challenging stereotypes: Sexual functioning of single adults with high functioning autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-013-1813-z
Byers, E. S., & Nichols (2014). Sexual satisfaction of high-functioning adults with austims spectrum disorder. Sexuality and Disability, 32, 365-382. DOI: 10.1007/S11195-014-9351-y
Nichols, S., & Byers, E. S. (in press). Sexual well-being and relationships in adults with autism spectrum disorder. In S, Wright (Ed). The challenge and promise of autism spectrum disorders in mid and later life: A sourcebook. London: Jessica Kingsley.
