Mark Stokes

Deakin University · School of Psychology

We examine the nature and predictors of social and romantic functioning in adolescents and adults with ASD. Parental reports were obtained for 25 ASD adolescents and adults (13-36 years), and 38 typical adolescents and adults (13-30 years). The ASD group relied less upon peers and friends for social (OR = 52.16, p < .01) and romantic learning (OR =...

Preliminary research examining sexuality within High-Functioning Autism (HFA) has been yet to consider the impact sex may have on the sexual/romantic functioning of this population. A systematic database search was carried out to identify 27 observational and cross-sectional publications meeting predetermined inclusion criteria. Using standardised...

Loneliness and the need to belong are two subjective states that, on the basis of prior research and theory, would appear to be related both to one another and to wellbeing. This study explored these relationships with a sample of 436 volunteer participants drawn from the Australian Unity Wellbeing database. Participants completed a survey that inc...

Background National levels of personal health-care access and quality can be approximated by measuring mortality rates from causes that should not be fatal in the presence of effective medical care (ie, amenable mortality). Previous analyses of mortality amenable to health care only focused on high-income countries and faced several methodological...

The affective content of Subjective Wellbeing (SWB) was investigated in two separate studies. Study 1 involved a representative sample of 478 participants from across Australia aged between 18 and 72 years. This study tested the circumplex model of affect and then determined the minimum set of affects that explain variance in SWB. The model was sup...

Purpose Autistic people have a significantly increased risk of death by suicide relative to the general population. In non-autistic samples, psychological wellbeing has been shown to moderate the relationship between depression and suicidal thoughts and behavior. Thoughts of self-harm may provide a useful indicator of suicidal risk. In this longitu...

Purpose. Autistic people have a significantly increased risk of death by suicide relative to the general population. In non-autistic samples, psychological wellbeing has been shown to moderate the relationship between depression and suicidal ideation, but this model has not been tested in an autistic sample. In this longitudinal study we examined (...

Subjective wellbeing (SWB) represents an individual's perception of wellness that is supported by homeostatic mechanisms. These mechanisms are proposed to be maintained by low negative affect and high positive affect, although less is known about these mechanisms and SWB in autism. The current cross‐sectional study aimed to compare patterns of posi...

It is crucial to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of the types of daily activities autistic adults typically engage in. However, previous research has almost exclusively focused on vocational or education activities. Further, it remains unclear how and whether specific daily activities participation rates change proportionally over time, var...

Examination of suicidal thoughts and behaviors and nonsuicidal self-injury in a pooled multinational sample of English-speaking autistic children and adults in Australia, Canada, and the United States.

The increased prevalence of suicide among autistic people highlights the need for validated clinical suicide screening and assessment instruments that are accessible and meet the unique language and communication needs of this population. We describe the preliminary psychometric validation of the Suicide Assessment Kit-Modified Interview (SAK-MI),...

Autistic adults experience high rates of unemployment, yet research investigating what predicts employment success produces inconsistent results. By utilising longitudinal person-oriented analyses, this study aimed to identify employment trajectories of autistic adults to better understand what may predict stable autistic employment. Participants w...

This short report presents recommendations to promote health and well-being relating to sexuality and gender diversity in autistic individuals. The recommendations were developed based on the latest available scientific knowledge coupled with a community-driven approach. An international group of autistic and non-autistic experts in the fields of a...

Background: A comprehensive understanding of temporal trends in the disease burden in Australia is lacking, and these trends are required to inform health service planning and improve population health. We explored the burden and trends of diseases and their risk factors in Australia from 1990 to 2019 through a comprehensive analysis of the Global...

Although negative anticipatory emotions are typically seen as risk factors for poorer psychological outcomes over COVID‐19, emotion theorists suggest that this risk may be attenuated if balanced by the experience of positive emotion. Thus, the current study examined whether interactions between positive and negative anticipatory emotions were concu...

Objective To investigate the longitudinal associations between COVID-19 induced stress (related to COVID-19 restrictions/changes), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, oppositional symptoms, and mental health outcomes (negative affect, anxiety, depression, and irritability) in children with ADHD during the COVID-19 pandemic. M...

Autistic individuals have reported lower satisfaction in their romantic relationships compared to non-autistic individuals. Previous research on the factors that contribute to relationship satisfaction within autism has focused on the characteristics of autistic participants as barriers to relationship satisfaction, while overlooking the role of th...

Our aim was to explore the association between COVID-19 pandemic-related product shortages and symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression in Australian families, concurrently and longitudinally, while controlling for demographic, health, and psychological characteristics. This prospective study used two waves of data (baseline, Time 0 = April 2020...

Few instruments screen for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among kindergarteners and older children. The Autism Screen for Kids and Youth (ASKY) is a 30-item parental questionnaire for 4- to 18-year-old children and adolescents available in Arabic, English, and Hebrew. We examined the sensitivity, specificity, and temporal stability of the Hebrew AS...

Background: Interpersonal violence is a widespread yet understudied issue in autism spectrum disorder (henceforth, ‘autism’). While the multiple minority stress model suggests gender marginalised groups (e.g., females, transgender, non-binary) are at greater risk, research investigating this model among autistic populations is limited. The current...

Lay abstract: Autistic people may be at higher risk of suicidal behavior than people in the general population. Suicidal behavior may include thinking about suicide or attempting to end one's own life by suicide. It is important to identify autistic people who may be thinking about suicide. People who are at risk of suicidal behavior can be identi...

Background Navigating workplace social interactions can be stressful for autistic people and be experienced differently by gender. A better understanding of the autistic experience of these difficulties is needed to inform effective policy, practice, and individualized support. Method Fifty-five autistic individuals (n women=32; n men=22) particip...

Snakebite envenoming is an important cause of preventable death. The World Health Organization (WHO) set a goal to halve snakebite mortality by 2030. We used verbal autopsy and vital registration data to model the proportion of venomous animal deaths due to snakes by location, age, year, and sex, and applied these proportions to venomous animal con...

Background: Globally, transport and unintentional injuries persist as leading preventable causes of mortality and morbidity for adolescents. We sought to report comprehensive trends in injury-related mortality and morbidity for adolescents aged 10-24 years during the past three decades. Methods: Using the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and...

Summary Background Globally, transport and unintentional injuries persist as leading preventable causes of mortality and morbidity for adolescents. We sought to report comprehensive trends in injury-related mortality and morbidity for adolescents aged 10–24 years during the past three decades. Methods Using the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries,...

People who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are at increased risk of suicidal behaviour compared to the general population; recent population-based studies demonstrate a three- to sevenfold increased risk of premature death by suicide. This chapter provides an overview of: (a) the current literature regarding risk and prevalence of...

Frontal lobe volume has been extensively researched in individuals with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), though findings are yet to be summarised to explain the developmental trends of frontal lobe volume. The aim of the present study is to consolidate all existing frontal lobe volume and age data of autistic individuals below 30 years of age, and c...

Objectives To use data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2019 (GBD 2019) to estimate mortality and disability trends for the population aged ≥70 and evaluate patterns in causes of death, disability, and risk factors. Design Systematic analysis. Setting Participants were aged ≥70 from 204 countries and terri...

PurposeThe aim of this systematic review was to identify challenges faced by autistic women during pregnancy and birth due to sensory issues or other features of Autism Spectrum Disorder.MethodsA systematic search of literature was conducted using Medline, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, MIDIRS, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global, and Open...

Background: Nascent evidence indicates that the mental health of parents and children has markedly declined during the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering disruptions to traditional face-to-face mental health services resultant from stay-at-home orders, the potential value of digital mental health interventions has become extremely apparent. Despite th...

Objective To control a second-wave COVID-19 outbreak, the state of Victoria in Australia experienced one of the world’s first long and strict lockdowns over July–October 2020, while the rest of Australia experienced ‘COVID-normal’ with minimal restrictions. We (1) investigate trajectories of parent/child mental health outcomes in Victoria vs non-Vi...

BACKGROUND: Documentation of patterns and long-term trends in mortality in young people, which reflect huge changes in demographic and social determinants of adolescent health, enables identification of global investment priorities for this age group. We aimed to analyse data on the number of deaths, years of life lost, and mortality rates by sex a...

Venomous snakebite is an important cause of preventable death. The World Health Organization (WHO) set a goal to halve snakebite mortality by 2030. We used verbal autopsy and vital registration data to model the proportion of venomous animal deaths due to snakes by location, age, year, and sex, and applied these proportions to venomous animal conta...

Background Documentation of patterns and long-term trends in mortality in young people, which reflect huge changes in demographic and social determinants of adolescent health, enables identification of global investment priorities for this age group. We aimed to analyse data on the number of deaths, years of life lost, and mortality rates by sex an...

Background Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 has targeted elimination of preventable child mortality, reduction of neonatal death to less than 12 per 1000 livebirths, and reduction of death of children younger than 5 years to less than 25 per 1000 livebirths, for each country by 2030. To understand current rates, recent trends, and potential traject...

The COVID‐19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health and wellbeing of the world's population, with particularly negative effects on vulnerable populations, including autistic people. Although some consensus regarding specific impact on aspects of wellbeing and mental health in autism is starting to emerge, it is unclear whether t...

Many interventions designed to improve educational outcomes for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been published, yet there has not been an adequate review of interventions in school settings assessed against student outcomes. We reviewed empirical literature published 2000 to June 2019 that evaluated school-based interventions appl...

The COVID-19 pandemic presents significant risks to population mental health. Despite evidence of detrimental effects for adults, there has been limited examination of the impact of COVID-19 on parents and children specifically. We aim to examine patterns of parent and child (0–18 years) mental health, parent substance use, couple conflict, parenti...

Autistic individuals report similar levels of interest in romantic relationships to their nonautistic peers but experience greater challenges with the initiation and maintenance of these relationships. This systematic review synthesizes the factors that contribute to romantic relationship initiation and maintenance among autistic individuals to inf...

This is a supplementary material for the article entitled "Measuring universal health coverage based on an index of effective coverage of health services in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019"

Objectives To examine (1) the subjective wellbeing of Australian parents raising children and adolescents (0–18 years) during April 2020 ‘stage three’ COVID-19 restrictions, in comparison with parents assessed over 18-years prior to the pandemic; and (2) socio-demographic and COVID-19 predictors of subjective wellbeing during the pandemic. Methods...

Research question Donor conception prevalence is increasing, so too the number of donor-conceived people identifying themselves, including offspring conceived when anonymity and secrecy were prevalent. In previous literature, some donor-conceived people have reported a desire to learn about their donor. This study aimed to find out how donor-concei...

This article reviews relevant literature on sexuality in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Findings reveal a growing awareness of desire for sexual and intimate relationships in individuals with ASD. However, core impairments of ASD lead to difficulties establishing requisite knowledge and skills necessary to attain a healthy sexuali...

Objective The present study investigated the association between resilience and indicators of mental health in a large sample of Australian parents at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Data were from a large longitudinal cohort study of Australian parents of a child aged 0–18 years collected during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Brief Resilie...

Suicide is a global health problem affecting both normative and clinical populations. Theoretical models that examine mechanisms underlying suicide risk across heterogeneous samples are needed. The present study explored core characteristics associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a sub-population at high risk of suicide, as well as two dim...

Objective To examine the impact of COVID-19 restrictions among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods Parents of 213 Australian children (5–17 years) with ADHD completed a survey in May 2020 when COVID-19 restrictions were in place (i.e., requiring citizens to stay at home except for essential reasons). Results Com...

There is a moderate degree of comorbidity between autism and eating disorders, particularly anorexia nervosa in female individuals. Research indicates that up to 30% of patients with anorexia are autistic, or display high levels of autistic traits. Frequently, an autism diagnosis is secondary to an eating disorder diagnosis, which brings concomitan...

Although autistic people have difficulties with social-emotional reciprocity, most still desire intimate romantic relationships. This study sought to identify enablers and barriers to emotional and physical intimacy for Autistic (n = 31) and non-autistic (n = 26) individuals. All participants completed an online survey including demographic informa...

Objectives: To examine the subjective wellbeing of Australian parents raising children and adolescents (0-18 years) during ‘stage three’ COVID-19 restrictions (April 2020), in comparison with subjective wellbeing in parents assessed over an 18-year period prior to the pandemic. We also aimed to examine socio-demographic and COVID-19 predictors of s...

Background Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves all people receiving the health services they need, of high quality, without experiencing financial hardship. Making progress towards UHC is a policy priority for both countries and global institutions, as highlighted by the agenda of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO's...

Background Accurate and up-to-date assessment of demographic metrics is crucial for understanding a wide range of social, economic, and public health issues that affect populations worldwide. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 produced updated and comprehensive demographic assessments of the key indicators of...

Summary Background Rigorous analysis of levels and trends in exposure to leading risk factors and quantification of their effect on human health are important to identify where public health is making progress and in which cases current efforts are inadequate. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 provides a sta...

The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 provides a rules-based synthesis of the available evidence on levels and trends in health outcomes, a diverse set of risk factors, and health system responses. GBD 2019 covered 204 countries and territories, as well as first administrative level disaggregations for 22 countr...

p>Background: Accurate and up-to-date assessment of demographic metrics is crucial for understanding a wide range of social, economic, and public health issues that affect populations worldwide. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 produced updated and comprehensive demographic assessments of the key indicators...

Background: In an era of shifting global agendas and expanded emphasis on non-communicable diseases and injuries along with communicable diseases, sound evidence on trends by cause at the national level is essential. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) provides a systematic scientific assessment of published, publ...

Background Accurate and up-to-date assessment of demographic metrics is crucial for understanding a wide range of social, economic, and public health issues that affect populations worldwide. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 produced updated and comprehensive demographic assessments of the key indicators of...

Background Rigorous analysis of levels and trends in exposure to leading risk factors and quantification of their effect on human health are important to identify where public health is making progress and in which cases current efforts are inadequate. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 provides a standardise...

It has been assumed that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted parental and family relationships due to issues including economic problems, strains of home confinement and social isolation. Despite these assumptions, there has been little research to date investigating the impact of COVID-19 stressors on parents’ relationship wellbeing and...