Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Cecilia Montiel-Nava

Second Advisor

Liza Talavera

Third Advisor

Valerie Neeley

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction, communication, and restricted repetitive behaviors. One of the core difficulties in individuals with ASD is related to emotional outbursts. Emotional outbursts (EO) are behavioral episodes in response to situations, environmental and physiological stimuli that occur in an extreme, unpleasant, sometimes aggressive way, often disproportionate to the context. Considering the impacts that EO’s can cause in populations with neurodevelopmental disorders and on the well-being and mental health of parents/caregivers, the need arises to evaluate these populations. Due to the core characteristics of ASD (such as a rigid mentality, limitations in social interaction and communication, and repetitive or fixed thoughts and behaviors), autistic people have a harder time anticipating and adjusting to environmental changes, making them a particularly vulnerable population. Parental divorce is considered a significant change in anyone’s life. It has been linked in studies to a higher likelihood of adjustment issues in children and adolescents, such as poor academic performance, disruptive behaviors, and low mood. Reactions to divorce in young children can include withdrawal or increased aggression and disobedience.

Objective: This study will explore and compare the emotional explosion patterns of children and adolescents with ASD in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) who have divorced parents or intact parents.

Method: The study will use data from a survey conducted by the author. Participants of children with ASD will be recruited and completing two online surveys: an Emotional Outburst Questionnaire and a Sociodemographic Characterization Questionnaire. Data will be collected online using REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) software. The data analysis procedures will be analysis of variance (ANOVA) based on the questionnaire scales among the samples. To interpret groups that differ in the ANOVA, Tukey's post-hoc test will be used, with a significance level of p≤0.05.

Comments

Copyright 2025 Sandra Lucia Masso. https://proquest.com/docview/3240627860

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