The AASPIRE Autistic Burnout Scale: Creation, pilot testing, and psychometric properties of a new measure of autistic burnout

Abstract Background: Autistic burnout is conceptualized as a syndrome resulting from chronic life stress and a mismatch of expectations and abilities without adequate supports. It impacts important mental health, independent living, and life outcomes, and may be linked to suicidal behavior. A validated measure is needed in order to further explore the phenomenon, assess its presence, examine it as an outcome, and evaluate the efficacy of interventions intended to relieve or prevent it.Methods: We used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to develop a measure of autistic burnout, the AASPIRE Autistic Burnout Scale. We conducted a small online survey, using a convenience sample, to assess the scale’s psychometric properties, including internal consistency reliability and construct, content, face, and structural validity. Qualitative data from our CBPR process and open-ended survey responses contributed to analyses. We assessed interpretability with a receiver operating characteristic curve.Results: Eighty individuals participated in our online survey to test the measure. The scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s alpha 0.95) and reasonable construct validity, with statistically significant correlations in the expected direction for all a priori hypotheses (depression, stress, and current experience of burnout) except for camouflaging. Data also supported content and face validity, structural validity, and interpretability.Conclusions: Preliminary testing of the AASPIRE Autistic Burnout Scale showed promising psychometric properties. We encourage further testing of both this instrument, particularly in a larger, more representative population with greater demographic diversity and a lower lifetime prevalence of autistic burnout.