Table 1_Quality of life outcomes associated with stigma in autistic adults and their families: a systematic review.docx

Autistic adults face stigma in several forms including discrimination, negative judgement and stereotyping, which may contribute to poorer quality of life (QoL) outcomes. Whilst the impact of stigma on QoL in autistic pediatric populations have been extensively studied, autistic adults and their caregivers represent a gap in the literature.</p>Aims<p>To examine different types of stigma faced by autistic adults and their family/caregivers and its impact on their quality of life, guided by World Health Organization QoL (WHOQOL) domains. which include physical health, psychological health, social relationships and environment.</p>Methods<p>A systematic literature search was conducted in APA PsycInfo, Ovid MEDLINE (R) and Embase for keywords related to ASD and stigma.

Studies that were eligible were peer reviewed English articles from 2013 onwards including autistic adults or their caregivers that examined at least one subtype of stigma as defined by this review. Stigma subtypes explored included internalized, public, structural, intersectional and affiliate stigma.</p>Results<p>A total of 53 studies were included. Experiences of autism related stigma overwhelmingly led to poor quality of life outcomes across mental and physical health domains, relationships and in employment, social and healthcare contexts.