Factors Influencing the Use of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy with Autistic Adults: A Survey of Community Mental Health Clinicians

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can improve anxiety and depression in autistic adults, but few autistic adults receive this treatment. We examined factors that may influence clinicians' use of CBT with autistic adults. One hundred clinicians completed an online survey. Clinicians reported stronger intentions (p = 0.001), more favorable attitudes (p < 0.001), greater normative pressure (p < 0.001), and higher self-efficacy (p < 0.001) to start CBT with non-autistic adults than with autistic adults. The only significant predictor of intentions to begin CBT with clients with anxiety or depression was clinicians' attitudes (p < 0.001), with more favorable attitudes predicting stronger intentions. These findings are valuable for designing effective, tailored implementation strategies to increase clinicians' adoption of CBT for autistic adults.