Autistic Traits, Arousal, and Gender Features in a Nonclinical Sample of Italian Adolescents

Abstract

(1) Background: Subthreshold autism is a sub-clinical pattern of autism spectrum disorder-like (ASD-like) traits, including poor social skills, cognitive rigidity, anxiety, and aloofness. These ASD-like traits are significantly more prevalent among parents and relatives of participants with autism; however, evidence suggests that subclinical autistic traits are not restricted to the family members of individuals with autism but rather are continuously distributed in the general population. Though the autistic subclinical form is perhaps prevalent among adults, little attention has been paid to the association between autistic traits and global functioning in adolescence. The aim of the present study is to investigate the subthreshold autism phenotype in adolescence and its relationship with arousal correlates, exploring gender differences emerging in the sample. (2) Methods: A sample of 725 students (293 males and 432 females; mean age 17.19) were recruited from three high schools in Southern Italy. They were assessed by the following instruments: Autism Spectrum Quotient, Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum, Ritvo Autism and Asperger Diagnostic Scale 14, and Hyperarousal Scale. (3) Results: In males, significant direct correlations between all dimensions of arousal and all variables related to autistic traits emerged except for the correlations between the H-Scale “Introspection score”, the AQ questionnaire “Total score” (p = 0.094), and the AdAS-Spectrum questionnaire “Empathy factor” (p = 0.210); in females, significant positive correlations between all dimensions of arousal and all variables related to autistic traits emerged. (4) Conclusions: In the sample of adolescents with subclinical profiles of autistic traits, the Empathy factor of the AdAS Spectrum questionnaire was significantly higher in the male group than in the female group, underscoring lower empathic abilities in the former group. In the male group, the empathy factor did not have a statistically significant correlation with the H-scale introspection factor or with the autistic traits measured by AQ. We suppose that in male adolescents, another hypothetical factor seems to intervene in the relationship between autistic traits and arousal. Otherwise, empathy is a preponderant factor closely related to hyper-arousal responses in female adolescents with autistic traits.

Neuroanatomical correlates of peripersonal space: bridging the gap between perception, action, emotion and social cognition

“…Although the hallmark of ASD is a persistent deficit in engaging in social interactions, it is worth noting that a formal diagnosis of ASD also requires the presence of restricted or repetitive behaviors or activities (American Psychiatric Association 2013 ). Atypical sensory processing in ASD individuals has been extensively documented for a wide range of domains, including auditory, touch, vision, and social stimuli (Marco et al 2011 ; O’Connor 2012 ; Nomi and Uddin 2015 ; DeBoth and Reynolds 2017 ; Balasco et al 2020 ; Chung and Son 2020 ; Iannuzzo et al 2022 ). Such sensory processing differences can pose challenges for individuals with ASD in effectively processing and integrating sensory information, thereby likely impacting their ability to comprehend and respond appropriately to stimuli within their PPS.…”

Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of the Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory

“…[7][8][9] Autistic traits can be considered a sixth factor of personality in addition to the Big Five. 10,11 Increasing numbers of studies have found that autistic traits are prevalent in the general population, [12][13][14] indicating that the construct of autism might form a continuum in the general population based on traitlike characteristics. 15 More and more studies have demonstrated the continuum model.…”