ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Autism
Symptoms of Depression in Autistic Children and Adolescents
Provisionally accepted
- The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, United States
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Depression is a frequently co-occurring condition in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Notably, autistic individuals are approximately four times more likely to experience depression than the general population. Difficulties in emotion regulation, inhibitory control, and social skills, common in autistic individuals, are thought to contribute to increased risk and vulnerability to depression. The present study sought to examine the prevalence of depressive symptoms and its cognitive correlates in a sample of autistic and neurotypical (NT) children and adolescents (53 ASD and 43 NT). Data were collected using parent-report questionnaires that assessed depressive symptoms, executive functions, and social skills. Group differences and the relationship between depressive symptoms and cognitive measures were assessed by t-test and linear regression analyses respectively. The results indicated a significant increase in depressive symptoms among the autistic, compared to NT, participants (p < 0.0001). Moreover, emotion regulation and social communication and interaction were significantly associated with depressive symptoms in both groups (p < 0.05). Additional analysis revealed that parental stress did not influence the relationship between executive functioning and interaction and depressive symptoms in both groups. But parental stress influenced the relationship between social communication and interaction and depressive symptoms. The findings of this study provide insights into the underlying mechanisms of depressive symptoms in autistic and NT children and adolescents.
Keywords: Depression, autism, social communication, social interaction, emotional regulation
Received: 01 Sep 2025; Accepted: 02 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Valles-Capetillo, Argueta, Martin, O'Kelley and Kana. 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: Rajesh Kumar Kana
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