Psychological Well-Being in Autistic College Students: Testing and Extending the Social Cognitive Well-Being Model.
Positive help-seeking attitude is the strongest lever for getting autistic college students into mental-health care.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Daisy et al. (2025) asked college students with autism to fill out a survey. The survey tested a social-cognitive model of well-being.
The team wanted to know which thoughts best predict a student’s plan to seek mental-health help.
What they found
Students who held positive views about help-seeking were the most likely to say they would use campus mental-health services.
Attitude strength beat every other factor in the model.
How this fits with other research
Nah et al. (2024) extends this idea. Their five-minute animated video raised autism knowledge and peer openness. Better knowledge can create the positive attitudes Daisy found so powerful.
Whaling et al. (2025) paints the other side of the picture. Most non-autistic students mis-label autistic behaviors as ADHD. Low recognition on campus may weaken the supportive climate that Daisy links to help-seeking.
Hwang et al. (2020) and Sutton et al. (2022) add a clinical layer. Both show that intolerance of uncertainty fuels anxiety in autistic youth. Daisy’s model includes uncertainty; these studies say reducing it may lift well-being and, in turn, boost help-seeking.
Why it matters
You can’t fix what students won’t use. Start every intake by shaping a positive attitude: share a quick success story, show a short clip like Yong-Hwee’s, or let a current client speak. Pair this with clear labels of autism traits so peers understand and support the step. When worry about the unknown pops up, teach uncertainty-tolerance skills. One attitude tweak can unlock the door to all your other interventions.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Background: One in five adults are diagnosed with mental illness in the United States. Young adults, ages 18 to 25, have the highest prevalence of depression (10.9%). Depression is also a risk factor for suicide. The current study applied the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the predictors that influence help-seeking intentions on utilization of mental health services among a diverse population of young adults. Methods: The study designed was a cross-sectional online survey of 18 to 24-year-old young adults (n= 430) who lived, worked, and/or attended school in San Francisco, California. The survey was available in English, Spanish, and Chinese; and accessible from August 2016 through March 2017. The online survey was a modified version of surveys developed by Mo and Mak, and Reavley and colleagues. Results: The demographic composition of the sample included: white (35.3%), Latino(a) (25.3%), and Chinese (21.6%); and primarily female (58.6%). Almost one-third of the participants (31.6%) screened positive for depression. Nearly half of the participants had ever met with a mental health professional (49.5%, n=213). There was a strong, positive correlation for attitude [r=.61, P<.01] and help-seeking intention. Positive attitudes in help-seeking was a consistent predictor when using linear regression models. Discussion: The TPB variables, especially attitudes, were highly predictive in help-seeking intention for mental health services. Translation to Health Education Practice: Health Educators who work in college-based student health centers can use the findings to develop interventions at the individual and community levels.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2025 · doi:10.1080/19325037.2019.1616014