SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Autism
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1578963
This article is part of the Research TopicWomen in Psychiatry 2025: AutismView all 3 articles
Experiences of Females on the Autism Spectrum Through the Perspective of Minority Stress Theory: a Review
Provisionally accepted
- University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
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People on the autism spectrum, especially females, are at high risk of co-occurring psychiatric and psychological conditions, suicidal ideation, and psychiatric hospitalization. The minority stress theory offers a framework for understanding mental health disparities by focusing on the influence of social factors. The current review aims to synthesize the literature on the experiences of autistic females in terms of the unique, chronic and socially based stressors that emerge at the intersection of sex/gender and autism. Based on the evidence, we show that the burdens encountered by autistic females are more than the sum of strains common for the females and for autistic individuals. Females on the autism spectrum face also specific challenges related to their not meeting social gendered expectations and the stereotypical image of autism. This intersectional disadvantage can enhance our understanding of the adverse mental health outcomes observed in this population. We emphasize key directions and provide methodological recommendations for future research in this area. Additionally, we underscore the importance of enhancing practitioners' understanding of the unique characteristics of female autism and the specific vulnerabilities faced by this group to improve support and outcomes.
Keywords: autism, females, life experiences, Mental Health, minority stress
Received: 18 Feb 2025; Accepted: 19 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Grzeszak and Pisula. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Aleksandra Grzeszak, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
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