Keywords

autism; psychology; autistic adults; rock climbing; mental health; exercise therapy

Abstract

Background: Prior research has shown rock climbing to have considerable therapeutic potential through such mechanisms as boosting self-esteem, promoting mindfulness, and creating a supportive social community. (Liu et al., 2022, Osborne et al., 2025). Meanwhile, autistic adults experience mood disorders at a significantly higher rate than the general population; upwards of 54% are diagnosed with a psychiatric condition (Croen et al., 2015). Many of the issues negatively affecting autistic adults align with the benefits of rock climbing, including low self-esteem, inadequate social support, and anxiety.

Objective: This study aimed to find differences in mental health outcomes between autistic adults who rock climb and autistic adults who do not rock climb. Specifically, the groups were compared on measures of depression, anxiety, stress, sense of social belonging, self-esteem, and quality of life.

Methods: A sample of autistic adults from around the United States (N = 191) was recruited via a combination of flyers (see Appendix D) and social media promotion to complete an online questionnaire regarding their mental health. An independent sample t-test was then conducted to find significant differences between the means of the climber group and the non-climber group.

Results: Significant differences were found in measures of depression, sense of social belonging, self-esteem, and quality of life. Meanwhile, differences in the measures of stress and anxiety were minimal and did not reach significance. Results indicate that rock climbing has therapeutic potential to improve certain areas of autistic adults’ mental health.

Thesis Completion Year

2026

Thesis Completion Semester

Spring

Thesis Chair

Neal, Raymonde

College

College of Sciences

Department

Psychology

Thesis Discipline

Psychology

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus Access

None

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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Psychology Commons

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