Measuring the social support network in autistic clients: development and validation of the Network in Action-Interview
IntroductionAs social relationships are intertwined with mental health recovery, it is important to address a client’s social support network during mental health interventions. This seems even more important for autistic clients, because research suggests they have on average smaller networks and e...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
03 April 2025
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| In: |
Frontiers in psychology
Year: 2025, Volume: 16, Pages: 1-9 |
| ISSN: | 1664-1078 |
| DOI: | 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1411908 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1411908 Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1411908/full 
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| Author Notes: | Rinske M. van den Heuvel, Hilde M. Geurts, Michel Wensing, Jan-Pieter Teunisse |
| Summary: | IntroductionAs social relationships are intertwined with mental health recovery, it is important to address a client’s social support network during mental health interventions. This seems even more important for autistic clients, because research suggests they have on average smaller networks and experience more loneliness than non-autistic individuals. Therefore, an interview assessing the social support network in relation to intervention goals was co-created together with stakeholders (autistic clients, mental healthcare professionals and a mother of an autistic client). In addition, the psychometric properties and acceptability of this Network-in-Action-Interview (NiA-I) were studied as pre-registered (AsPredicted #59767).MethodsThe Nominal Group Technique was used to co-create the NiA-I with stakeholders and it was administered to autistic clients (n = 44) recruited in a highly specialized mental health facility.ResultsNetwork-in-Action-Interview social support scores were significantly correlated with the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, indicating sufficient convergent validity. Clients and professionals reported that the NiA-I provided the therapist with greater insight into the client’s social support network. Professionals reported the NiA-I could be improved regarding administration duration.DiscussionThis cross-sectional study shows that the NiA-I is a solid and helpful tool for including the social network in clinical practice. Addressing and including a client’s social support network is important for recovery-focused mental health treatment. The NiA-I can assist professionals in taking such actions. |
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| Item Description: | Veröffentlicht: 03. April 2025 Gesehen am 30.09.2025 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 1664-1078 |
| DOI: | 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1411908 |