AIM: The aim for this study was to identify the effects of physical activity (PA) on the psychosocial factors (PA self-efficacy, enjoyment of PA, perceived stress, and depression) amongst young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) through the use of a 12-week remotely prescribed exercise program. METHODSs: This quasi-experimental study consisted of a 12-week remote-based exercise intervention (and a no-exercise control group) for young adults (18 – 35 years) with ASD. Participants were recruited through the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD), an organization that provides resources to individuals with ASD and their families. The exercise program occurred twice a week for 45 minutes each session. Both the intervention and control groups were asked to complete surveys on PA self-efficacy, PA enjoyment, perceived stress, and depression. RESULTS: A total of 16 young adults (intervention = 10; control = 6) with ASD were included in the final analysis. Findings revealed that there was a significant decrease in depression scores in the intervention group following the exercise intervention (p = 0.03). Additionally, the change in depression scores from baseline to post-exercise program was significantly greater than in the control condition (p=0.017). Findings were not significant for either exercise group and control group for scores in enjoyment, self-efficacy, and perceived stress. CONCLUSION: Preliminary evidence suggest that a remote-based exercise intervention may reduce symptoms of depression in young adults with ASD. Future studies that consider the type of exercise program prescribed and increasing the sample diversity and size are needed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:etd2020-1527 |
| Date | 01 January 2021 |
| Creators | Mayo, Juan |
| Publisher | STARS |
| Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020- |
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