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oai:figshare.com:article/32634567 2026-10-01T16:54:22Z portal_1172 item_type_8 month_year_10_2026

"Living with Asperger's syndrome in adolescence" Angela Diamond (24166440) PUREID: 454170440 The daily life experience of adolescents with Asperger syndrome in the Republic of Ireland and the impact those experiences have for their well-being has received little attention in research. This study seeks to rectify this gap by focusing on the experiences and perspectives of adolescents diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome regarding the issues that appeared to be important and significant to them and their well-being. Five participants were purposively selected based on specific sampling criteria from one Health Care Area of the Health Service Executive in the Republic of Ireland. Data was gathered by means of a daily diary which participants completed for a period of four weeks and each participant was also interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse data in order to obtain a richly descriptive account of participant’s experience. At the interpretative level, the study situates the experience of well-being within Minkkinen’s Structural Model of Child Well-Being. The concept of the “well-being niche” is utilized to elucidate the proximal processes influencing participant’s well-being, while Wachs concept of “open” and “closed” niches is used to illuminate the factors that facilitated or impeded participant’s well-being. Results from the study support the view that well-being is a multi-faceted, complex, and dynamic phenomenon in which factors at the individual and environmental level play a role in the process. The significance of the study as well as its strengths and limitations are discussed and suggestions for further research are made. 2026-10-01T16:54:22Z Text Thesis 10.17034/32634567.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/_Living_with_Asperger_s_syndrome_in_adolescence_/32634567 All Rights Reserved