SUB-THRESHOLD AUTISTIC TRAITS AS PREDICTOR OF EXPERIENTIAL AVOIDANCE AND MOOD STATES AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Authors

  • Rabia Maryam Department of Applied Psychology, Government College University, Faisalabad Pakistan
  • Rabia Khawar Department of Applied Psychology, Government College University, Faisalabad Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52567/pjsr.v4i03.692

Abstract

Features of autism are prevalent not only in diagnosed patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) but in the general population also with fewer severities (Gokcen et al., 2014). The present research intended to find out the role of subthreshold autistic traits (SATs) on experiential avoidance and mood states of university students. A sample of (N = 201) undergraduate university students (Mage = 21.77; SDage =1.64; 84.1% women; 14.9% men) was recruited using convenient sampling technique. Urdu versions of Autism Quotient (AQ; Baron-Cohen et al., 2001), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II (AAQ-II; Bond et al., 2011) and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Watson et al., 1988) were administered to the participants as measures of autistic traits, experiential avoidance and mood states respectively. Results of linear regression revealed total score of AQ as a significant predictor of AAQ and Negative Affect subscale of PANAS. Hierarchical regression analysis further depicted that two of the subscales of AQ i.e. imagination and social skills significantly predicted positive and negative affect respectively. Mediation analysis using PROCESS demonstrated that experiential avoidance fully mediated the relationship between imagination and positive affect while partially mediated the association between social skills and negative affect. Results are discussed with a focus on early identification and intervention strategies to mitigate the adverse impact of experiential avoidance and negative mood on mental health of individuals with higher level of autistic features.

Keywords: Subthreshold Autistic Traits, Experiential Avoidance, Hierarchical regression, Intervention strategies, Mental Health

Author Biographies

  • Rabia Maryam, Department of Applied Psychology, Government College University, Faisalabad Pakistan

    Lecturer/ PhD Scholar

  • Rabia Khawar, Department of Applied Psychology, Government College University, Faisalabad Pakistan

    Chairperson

Additional Files

Published

2022-09-30

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 03 (2022): Pakistan Journal of Social Research PJSR

Section

Research Article

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Rabia Maryam, Rabia Khawar

Creative Commons License

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How to Cite

[1]
“SUB-THRESHOLD AUTISTIC TRAITS AS PREDICTOR OF EXPERIENTIAL AVOIDANCE AND MOOD STATES AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS”, Pak. J, Soc. Sci., vol. 4, no. 03, pp. 113–120, Sep. 2022, doi: 10.52567/pjsr.v4i03.692.