Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2019 Mar;49(3):1096-1110. doi: 10.1007/s10803-018-3812-6.
Adults with autism and subclinical autistic traits report greater internalizing problems than their peers, but the psychological processes underlying these associations are not well understood. The current study used structural equation modeling to examine whether social experiences (social connectedness and loneliness) mediate the link between autistic traits and internalizing symptoms among 821 college students. Those with higher total Broader Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ) scores reported lower social connectedness, which related to greater loneliness, and, in turn, greater anxious and depressive symptoms. Relations with specific BAPQ subscales were also examined. Results indicate that, among young adults, stronger subclinical autistic traits relate to greater mental health and social difficulties and point to the important role of social experiences in mental health adjustment.
自闭症成人和亚临床自闭症特征个体报告的内化问题比同龄人更多，但这些关联背后的心理过程尚不清楚。本研究使用结构方程模型检验了社交体验（社交联系和孤独感）是否在自闭症特征与 821 名大学生内化症状之间起中介作用。那些具有较高总自闭症行为检查表（BAPQ）得分的人报告社交联系较差，这与孤独感更强相关，而孤独感又与更严重的焦虑和抑郁症状相关。还检验了与特定 BAPQ 分量表的关系。结果表明，在年轻人中，更强的亚临床自闭症特征与更大的心理健康和社交困难有关，并指出社交体验在心理健康调整中的重要作用。
