Familiarity with neurodiversity and its association with autism conceptualization and stigma among medical and psychology students in Türkiye

The concept of neurodiversity has increasingly influenced discussions of autism in research, clinical practice, and public discourse. However, little is known about how this concept is understood during professional training. Because today’s students represent tomorrow’s clinicians and mental health professionals, their conceptualizations of autism may shape future experiences of autistic individuals across the lifespan, including adulthood. This study examined familiarity with the term neurodiversity and its associations with perceptions of autism and stigmatizing attitudes among medical and psychology students in Türkiye. A total of 731 university students (357 medical, 374 psychology) completed an anonymous online survey assessing familiarity with the term neurodiversity, conceptualizations of autism, emotional responses, and stigmatizing attitudes. Autism traits were measured using the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ-TR), and stigma was assessed with a validated scale. Group differences and multivariable associations were examined using chi-square/Fisher’s exact tests, Mann–Whitney U tests, binary logistic regression, and multiple linear regression.Given the large number of exploratory comparisons, the Benjamini–Hochberg procedure was applied to control the false discovery rate (FDR). Overall, 63.1% of participants reported familiarity with neurodiversity, primarily from university education. Familiarity was higher among psychology students, those in later training years, and self-identified autistic participants. Familiarity was associated with higher personal acceptance but not with lower scores on the general stigma measure. Imagining oneself as autistic evoked predominantly negative emotions, particularly sadness and anxiety, with sadness independently associated with lower neurodiversity familiarity. Psychology students were more likely to conceptualize autism as diversity, whereas medical students more frequently endorsed biological etiologies and social-environmental explanations.Approximately 61% of participants endorsed seeking a cure for autism, with no significant differences by neurodiversity familiarity or field of study.In the binary logistic regression analysis, disciplinary background, academic year, and self-identification as autistic were independently associated with familiarity. Familiarity with neurodiversity terminology was not associated with lower stigmatizing attitudes. Future intervention studies should examine whether educational approaches incorporating reflective, experiential, or contact-based components are more effective in promoting neurodiversity-aligned attitudes than terminological exposure alone.