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The Association Between Autistic Traits and Mental Well-Being

Author

Listed:
  • Nikolas J. Stimpson

    (UCL)

  • Laura Hull

    (UCL)

  • William Mandy

    (UCL)

Abstract

It is now accepted that sub-clinical autistic traits are continuously distributed in the general population. It appears that there has been no prior research on the relationship between autistic traits and mental well-being. We explored the nature of such a relationship using multiple regression models. 227 non-clinical adults aged 18–50 years completed an online self-report questionnaire with measures including the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale and the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ). Of the BAPQ subscales, aloofness (social anhedonia) but not rigidity or pragmatic language problems was associated with decreased mental well-being when controlling for extraversion, neuroticism, depression, and self-reported physical health. This association was partially mediated by crisis support (the number of people a respondent felt they could turn to for help in the event of a serious personal crisis). The results suggest that aloofness is a significant negative predictor of mental well-being, and that autistic traits might not be best represented as a single unitary factor in the context of outcomes related to mental well-being. Implications pertaining to the importance of social support and the possible contributing role of low self-perceived social competence to aloofness are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Nikolas J. Stimpson & Laura Hull & William Mandy, 2021. "The Association Between Autistic Traits and Mental Well-Being," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 287-304, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:22:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1007_s10902-020-00229-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-020-00229-5
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    Cited by:

    1. Kaylin Ratner & Qingyi Li & Gaoxia Zhu & Melody Estevez & Anthony L. Burrow, 2023. "Daily Adolescent Purposefulness, Daily Subjective Well-Being, and Individual Differences in Autistic Traits," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 967-989, March.

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