UK Apserger / ASD and Romantic Relationships Research Projec

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Hello,

I am a Trainee Clinical Psychologist in London and am carrying out research, as part of my doctorate, on romantic relationships in which one of the partners has a diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (including Asperger’s Syndrome). I am making this post to ask whether any members of this forum resident in the UK would be interested in taking part in the project, or would like to pass on details of the project to other individuals who might be interested.

The research concerns ways in which people with ASD and their partners experience closeness in their relationships. For the research, I aim to interview both people with the diagnosis who are in a relationship, as well as 'neuro-typical' individuals in a relationship with someone with ASD about their experiences. I am able to conduct face to face interviews for those living in or around London, or, for those in other parts of the UK, telephone or e-mail interviews are also an option. Unfortunately I am unable for this study to include individuals living outside the UK or who do not have English as their first language.

At present, very little research has been carried out regarding romantic relationships in which one or both partners is affected by ASD. I therefore hope, through the project, to develop a greater understanding for professional and research communities of the values, experiences, and needs of people with ASD and their partners.

I am able to provide anyone interested in the project with information sheets giving further details of the research. If anyone is interested in participating, or is curious about knowing more about the research, they can contact me by e-mail at [email protected], and I will be happy to send through the information sheets, or to answer any queries. I am also always grateful for any comments or suggestions that others are able to provide regarding the project or its topic.

Yours sincerely,

Joe Schwaerzler
Trainee Clinical Psychologist
University of East London

Why exactly is this restricted to UK residents (what exactly do you mean by resident? I think that legally I'm a resident of two different countries right now, in two different continents) and people who speak English as there first language?

ok sorry, i read the message too quickly the first time. Unfortunately i'm French, so this doesn't apply to me.

Best of luck with your research project. I hope the Aspie community will benefit from it in the long run. I cannot help you personally (not diagnosed yet, not in a relationship with an Aspie (anymore) and from DK). However I can guess why you can only focus on UK residents, having done a bit of statistics myself.

Pure educated guesswork: There may other factors in this research project that require social, health or income factors etc. to be controlled for. That is immensely easier if you concentrate on a particular country. Another very strong argument for UK focus could be government or private funding with UK roots and/or sympathies. I hope I am not on the wrong track here

Hi everyone - thanks for the replies.

Just to clarify a couple of points:

a) I am only able to include people who are resident in the UK and with English as a first language due to the method I am using for the analysis, which requires a homogenous sample (for people to share as many characteristics as possible) - first language and country of residence may have a particular impact on how people describe their experiences which would complicate the analysis were participants to differ in these dimensions. I certainly don't mean to suggest that there is anything less valid about the accounts of people outside the UK or who speak another language!

b) By resident in the UK, I mean having a home in the UK in which you spend at least a few months annually.

I hope that clarifies things!

Best wishes,

Joe