Autistic traits and social skills in Chinese college students: Mediating roles of adult attachment styles and empathy

Autistic traits (ATs) are considered a set of primary symptoms of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and are postulated to be continuously distributed in the general population. Prior findings suggest that impairment of social skills results in interpersonal difficulties in ASDs. However, there are few studies examining the possible negative effects of ATs on social skills in the general population and the specific mechanism. The current study explored the influence of ATs on social skills and the mediating role of adult attachment styles and multimodal empathy. The results showed that ATs reduced social skills directly and indirectly through complex mediation by adult attachment styles and multimodal empathy. The findings revealed the internal mechanism by which ATs impede social skills, and expands our understanding of social behaviour in ASD and ATs in the general population. Furthermore, the results have implications for social skills interventions for individuals with ASD and those with high levels of ATs.