An Investigation of Gelotophobia in Individuals with a Diagnosis of High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Most adults with hfASD dread being laughed at—check for bullying and anxiety before social skills training.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Leader et al. (2018) asked adults with high-functioning autism, "Do you fear being laughed at?"
They gave a short survey called the GELOPH-15 to a group with hfASD and a group without.
The team also asked about social skills, bullying history, anxiety, and life satisfaction.
What they found
Eight out of ten adults with hfASD scored high for gelotophobia. Only two out of ten controls did.
Bullying, anxiety, poor social functioning, and low life satisfaction predicted higher fear of being laughed at.
How this fits with other research
Root et al. (2017) show that in autistic children, sensory hypersensitivity links anxiety to insistence on sameness. Geraldine’s adults echo the anxiety piece but point to social ridicule instead of sensory triggers.
Schertz et al. (2016) found stigma makes parenting a child with ASD feel harder. Together the papers suggest autism-related social stress runs both directions: parents feel judged, and adults with autism fear laughter.
Wicherkiewicz et al. (2024) studied Polish women with ADHD who hide symptoms and feel worse. Like Geraldine’s hfASD group, camouflaging and fear of negative evaluation both chip away at life satisfaction across neurotypes.
Why it matters
If your client with hfASD avoids groups or jokes, screen for gelotophobia. Ask about past bullying and current anxiety. Teaching assertive responses and building safe peer settings may cut the fear and lift life satisfaction.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Samson et al. (Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 41:475-483, 2011) conducted the first empirical investigation examining the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia) and its prevalence in individuals with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (hfASD). The present research examined gelotophobia in relation to social functioning, perceived social support, life satisfaction and quality of life (QoL) in individuals with hfASD, including past experiences of bullying and the presence of comorbid psychopathology. Participants were 103 adults with a clinical diagnosis of hfASD and 137 typically developing controls. Individuals with hfASD presented with higher rates of gelotophobia symptomatology in comparison to controls (87.4 vs. 22.6% respectively). It was also found that social functioning, past experiences of bullying, anxiety and life satisfaction were predictors of gelotophobia amongst individuals with hfASD.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2018 · doi:10.1007/s10803-018-3661-3