Participants
Autism, degenerative physical disorder, psychiatric, autistic, autism
DISORDERS, DISORDERS
The adolescents and parents/guardians provided written and verbal informed consent using the form and protocol approved by the Chiba University Clinical Research Ethical Review Committee. The inclusion criteria for adolescents were: (1) diagnosed with autism by their general practitioners using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, and met the cut-off value for autism measured using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) [The exclusion criteria for autistic adolescents were: (1) suicidal intentions at the time of enrolment; (2) a repetitive behavioral problem and/or severe degenerative physical disorder, as identified by a primary psychiatrist; (3) any other condition that might compromise well-being. The exclusion criterion for parents/guardians was meeting the diagnostic criteria for psychiatric disorders, assessed using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.) [