Insecure Attachment and Psychosocial Functioning in Autistic Adults Are Mediated by Depression and Paranoid Ideation

Insecure Attachment and Psychosocial Functioning in Autistic Adults Are Mediated by Depression and Paranoid Ideation

The present study examines if depressive symptoms, paranoid ideation, and emotion regulation strategies mediate the relationship between attachment and psychosocial functioning in autistic adults.

The present study examines if depressive symptoms, paranoid ideation, and emotion regulation strategies mediate the relationship between attachment and psychosocial functioning in autistic adults. Within a cross-sectional design, we used mediation analysis to clarify the roles of co-occurring mental conditions as depressive symptoms, paranoid ideation, and (mal)adaptive emotion regulation strategies in mediating the pathway from insecure attachment to psychosocial functioning in autistic adults. Questionaires about attachment, psychosocial functioning, depressive symptoms, paranoid ideation, and emotion regulation were administered to 83 autistic adults (50 males, 33 females).

Inclusion Criteria:

• a primary clinical diagnosis of DSM-5 ASD (APA, 2013)
• age ≥ 18 years
• at least eight years of education.

Exclusion Criteria:

• intellectual disability (IQ ≤ 80)
• presence of current suicidal ideation.