Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Individuals with autism experience more mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression (Skokauskas & Gallagher, 2012) as well as higher rates of victimization than the general population (Little, 2002). However, children with autism may be unaware of their own victimization as these individuals often have difficultly understanding the intentions and mental states of others. This ability, known as theory of mind, is impaired in individuals with autism to varying degrees (Tager-Flusberg, 2007). Typically developing children who are bullied are more likely to experience mental health problems than those who are not bullied (Sesar et al., 2012). However, some children with autism may be unable to identify the malicious intentions of the perpetrators, reducing the negative impact of bullying. This suggests that victimization may not lead to mental health problems in all individuals with autism. The goal of my Master's thesis is to examine the relationship between victimization, theory of mind abilities and mental health problems in adolescents with autism. I hypothesize that victimization will not be associated with mental health problems in individuals with autism who have relatively poor theory of mind abilities. Conversely, I hypothesize that victimization will be associated with mental health problems in individuals with autism who have relatively strong theory of mind abilities. I will investigate this research question by administering questionnaires and tasks to adolescents with autism aged 12-18 and their caregivers. These measures will evaluate how often the individual with autism experienced bullying, their theory of mind abilities and their mental health. Consistent with the Canadian Institute of Health Research's mandate, this study aims to build on our knowledge of victimization and mental health problems in adolescents with autism.