Exploring Autistic People's Experiences of and Attitudes Towards Cervical Screening: A Mixed-Methods Study

Murdoch, S, Donaghy, B, Grant, A, Sheen, K and Moore, DJ ORCID: 0000-0002-5228-3124 (2026) Exploring Autistic People's Experiences of and Attitudes Towards Cervical Screening: A Mixed-Methods Study. Autism, 30 (7). pp. 1738-1748. ISSN 1362-3613

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Abstract

Cervical screening can be lifesaving, yet attendance rates are lower than recommended within the general population and even lower within the autistic population. There is currently no published research systematically exploring autistic people’s cervical screening experiences. This research aimed to explore the experience of cervical (“smear”) screening for autistic people in the United Kingdom. Autistic people (N = 97) completed an online mixed-methods questionnaire about their cervical screening experiences. Questions considered experiences of pain, sensory and communication issues, knowledge of cervical cancer, attitudes towards screening, and experience of sexual assault. Findings suggest that an autistic person’s intention to attend their screening is important to understand their actual attendance at the screening. Quantitatively, pain, sensory and communication issues, or knowledge of cervical cancer were not associated with screening attendance. However, qualitatively, they were. Two themes emerged: “Communication disconnect across the care journey” and” Echoes of the past: the lasting impact of previous care encounters” were discussed as barriers to screening engagement. This research highlights the need to improve healthcare communication and other accessibility needs for autistic people when attending cervical screening and for further development of appropriate measurement tools. More research is needed to further inform methods of improving cervical screening services for autistic people.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	autism; cancer screening; cervical screening; mixed methods; theory of planned behaviour; Humans; Vaginal Smears; Mass Screening; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Autistic Disorder; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Middle Aged; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms; Female; Male; Early Detection of Cancer; Young Adult; Surveys and Questionnaires; United Kingdom; autism; cancer screening; cervical screening; mixed methods; theory of planned behaviour; Humans; Female; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Adult; Middle Aged; United Kingdom; Autistic Disorder; Surveys and Questionnaires; Early Detection of Cancer; Male; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Young Adult; Aged; Mass Screening; Adolescent; Vaginal Smears; 32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences; 52 Psychology; Women's Health; Chronic Pain; Prevention; Pain Research; Health Services; Cancer; Behavioral and Social Science; Cervical Cancer; Clinical Research; 7.1 Individual care needs; 4.4 Population screening; 1303 Specialist Studies in Education; 1701 Psychology; 1702 Cognitive Sciences; Developmental & Child Psychology; 32 Biomedical and clinical sciences; 52 Psychology
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine R Medicine > RG Gynecology and obstetrics
Divisions:	Psychology (from Sep 2019)
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Date of acceptance:	20 March 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	13 July 2026
Date Deposited:	13 Jul 2026 09:56
Last Modified:	13 Jul 2026 14:20
DOI or ID number:	10.1177/13623613261439937
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28993

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