Ambivalent effects of highly estimated personal strengths on adaptive functioning and internalizing symptoms in non-clinical autistic females

• Published in: Current psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.) N.J.), 2024-01, Vol.43 (3), p.2555-2567
• Main Authors: Sejima, Kanako, Uozumi, Ryuji, Murai, Toshiya, Funabiki, Yasuko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation; Adjustment (Psychology); Autism; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Demographic aspects; Females; Psychology; Social Sciences
• ISSN: 1046-1310; 1936-4733
• DOI: 10.1007/s12144-023-04285-x

Recently, individuals with autistic traits, especially female, have been known to use compensatory strategies (e.g. hiding their autistic traits or compensatory learning) for better adaptation. Though these strategies are predicted to be relevant with the non-clinical undiagnosed autistic people, their adaptive status and the factor contributing to it remain largely unexplored, especially the influence of gender. We explored the strengths of non-clinical adults with high autistic traits (high, N = 89, scored 19 or higher on Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire: ASSQ, self- and/or other-ratings) who were respondents to an online survey recruited from all over Japan, using items of the personal strengths in the Adult Self Report (ASR) and Adult Behavior Checklist (rating by others). We compared the high group with the low autistic traits group (low, N = 408, less than 19 on both ASSQ self- and other- ratings on the online survey) and the autism spectrum disorder group (ASD, N = 50, initial visit to hospital), as well as by gender. Personal strengths estimated by others were significantly higher than those by self in the high group, especially in females, but were opposite in the ASD group and equivalent in the low group, respectively. Multiple regression analysis revealed that personal strengths estimated by others increased adaptive functioning, with worsening of internalizing symptoms in high group females, both of which were assessed using ASR. Thus, non-clinical autistic females appeared to have unique adaptation styles.