Autistic Traits and Psychosocial Predictors of Depressive Symptoms
- PMID: 38733500
- DOI: 10.1007/s10803-024-06361-y
Autistic Traits and Psychosocial Predictors of Depressive Symptoms
Abstract
Higher rates of depression and of depressed mood are associated with autistic traits, and both are associated with social interaction factors, such as social self-efficacy, social motivation and loneliness. This study examined whether these social factors explain the association between autistic traits and depression. 658 participants (527 women) completed an online survey with measures of autistic traits (AQ), social self-efficacy (Social Self-Efficacy Scale), social motivation (Social Striving Assessment Scale), loneliness (UCLA Loneliness Scale) and depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory-II). A mediation analysis found the relationship between autistic traits and depressive symptoms was fully mediated by the other three factors (β[indirect] = .005, z = 2.63, p < .01; β[direct] = .05, z = 1.58, p > .05), forming a pathway from autistic traits, to social self-efficacy, to social motivation, to loneliness and finally to depressive symptoms. These results suggest that targeting social self-efficacy may break this pathway and disrupt this relationship. Interventions targeting supporting positive social interaction should be considered.
Keywords: Autistic traits; Depressive symptoms; Loneliness; Mediation analysis; Social motivation; Social self-efficacy.
© 2024. The Author(s).
Similar articles
-
The Association between Depression and Perceived Stress among Parents of Autistic and Non-Autistic Children-The Role of Loneliness.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Mar 4;19(5):3019. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19053019. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022. PMID: 35270709 Free PMC article.
-
Sex-specific mechanisms for eating disorder risk in men and women with autistic traits: the role of alexithymia.J Eat Disord. 2023 Feb 10;11(1):18. doi: 10.1186/s40337-023-00746-7. J Eat Disord. 2023. PMID: 36765413 Free PMC article.
-
Loneliness in Adults on the Autism Spectrum.Autism Adulthood. 2019 Sep 1;1(3):182-193. doi: 10.1089/aut.2018.0038. Epub 2019 Sep 11. Autism Adulthood. 2019. PMID: 36601420 Free PMC article.
-
The association between autistic traits and excessive smartphone use in Chinese college students: The chain mediating roles of social interaction anxiety and loneliness.Res Dev Disabil. 2022 Dec;131:104369. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104369. Epub 2022 Oct 26. Res Dev Disabil. 2022. PMID: 36306598
-
Social Connectedness and Loneliness Mediate the Association Between Autistic Traits and Internalizing Symptoms Among Young Adults.J Autism Dev Disord. 2019 Mar;49(3):1096-1110. doi: 10.1007/s10803-018-3812-6. J Autism Dev Disord. 2019. PMID: 30406911
References
-
- Age UK. (2022). The difference between loneliness and isolation. https://www.ageuk.org.uk/our-impact/policy-research/loneliness-research-...
-
- Barbaro, J., & Dissanayake, C. (2007). A comparative study of the use and understanding of self-presentational display rules in children with high functioning autism and Asperger’s disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(7), 1235–1246. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0267-y - DOI - PubMed
-
- Baron-Cohen, S., Wheelwright, S., Skinner, R., Martin, J., & Clubley, E. (2001). The autism-spectrum quotient (AQ): Evidence from Asperger syndrome/high-functioning autism, males and females, scientists and mathematicians. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 31(1), 5–17. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005653411471 - DOI - PubMed
-
- Beck, A., Steer, R., & Brown, G. (1996). Manual for the Beck depression inventory-II. Psychological Corporation.
-
- Bottini, S. (2018). Social reward processing in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review of the social motivation hypothesis. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 45, 9–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2017.10.001 - DOI
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources