Broader Autism Phenotype Characteristics and Social Adjustment in College Students: Mediating Effects of Depression

Background:  The Broader Autism Phenotype (BAP) is characterized behaviorally by subclinical symptoms and personality traits associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). BAP characteristics include aloofness, rigidity, and pragmatic language difficulties (Piven et al., 1997; Landa et al., 1992). Historically, BAP characteristics have been studied in relatives of individuals with ASD; however, studies have shown that BAP characteristics are present in non-clinical samples (Baron-Cohen et al., 2001; Jobe & Williams-White, 2007; Wainer, Ingersoll, &Hopwood, 2011).  While depression has been linked to mothers of children with ASD there are mixed findings regarding the relation between depression and BAP characteristics. Some studies (Micali et al., 2004; Piven & Palmar, 1999) have found that that depression is not associated with BAP traits specifically. However, Ingersoll, Meyer, and Becker (2011) found that presence of BAP characteristics uniquely predicted number of depressive symptoms in mothers of children with ASD, over and above parenting stress and severity of the child’s autism symptoms.  Additionally, Kunihira and colleagues (2006) demonstrated that BAP characteristics are correlated with both anxiety and depression.Research with college samples indicates that college students that exhibit BAP traits have fewer friendships and increased loneliness (Jobe & Williams-White, 2007) as well as deficits in social skills and social cognition (Sasson, Nowlin, & Pinkham, 2013). Affective disorders, such as depression and anxiety, are associated with both BAP traits and difficulties with social functioning. More research is needed to study how depression and anxiety affect the relation between BAP traits and social adjustment in college. 

Objectives:  This study sought to determine whether depression, stress and/or anxiety mediated the relation between BAP traits and social adjustment in college. Gender moderation was also explored.

Methods:  A predominantly female sample (N = 423, 75.1% female), ages 17-34 (M = 20.30, SD= 1.91) was recruited from an undergraduate student population at a public mid-Atlantic university. The final sample (n = 333) included those participants with complete data on self-reported BAP (The Broader Autism Phenotype Questionnaire; Hurley et al., 2007), college social adjustment (Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire; Baker & Siryk, 1989), and depression, anxiety, and stress (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales; DASS; Lovibond & Lovibond, 1985). Mediation was tested using hierarchical regression analysis and bootstrapped estimation of confidence intervals around the indirect effect (PROCESS; Hayes, 2013).

Results:  Mediational analyses were run for DASS Total score, and depression, anxiety, and stress subscales individually, as mediators between BAP and college social adjustment. As predicted, BAP characteristics predicted poorer social adjustment in college (total effect = B = -7.891, SE =.897, p<.001). This effect was significantly and uniquely mediated by depression, controlling for anxiety and stress (indirect effect B= -1.336, Boot SE = .458, 95% CI=-2.291 to -.499). Gender did not moderate this effect. 

Conclusions:  Depression appears to play a powerful unique role in mediating the relation between BAP traits and social adjustment in college, above and beyond the effects of anxiety and stress. Limitations, and clinical implications are explored.