Mood Disorders in High-Functioning Autism: The Importance of Alexithymia and Emotional Regulation.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have co-morbid anxiety and depression. Alexithymia and emotion regulation difficulties are commonly seen in individuals with ASD and in mood disorders. We hypothesized that alexithymia and emotional regulation would mediate the relationship between autistic features and anxiety/depression symptom severity. We collected data about emotional regulation, alexithymia, autistic symptoms and depression/anxiety in a sample of 64 young adults with ASD. We constructed two serial multiple mediator models, using autistic features as the independent variable and anxiety/depression symptoms as outcome variables. The serial relationship between alexithymia and emotional regulation mediated associations between autistic features and depression and anxiety, separately. The findings suggest that targeting alexithymia may benefit therapies designed to alleviate mood disorders in ASD.

43 citations (Crossref) [2023-10-31] Place: United States Morie, Kristen P. Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA. kristen.morie@yale.edu. Morie, Kristen P. Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA. kristen.morie@yale.edu. Jackson, Scott. Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA. Scott.Jackson@yale.edu. Jackson, Scott. Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA. Scott.Jackson@yale.edu. Jackson, Scott. Office of Assessment and Analytics, Southern Connecticut State University, 501 Crescent Street, New Haven, CT, 06515, USA. Scott.Jackson@yale.edu. Zhai, Zu Wei. Department of Psychology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT, 05753, USA. Potenza, Marc N. Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA. Potenza, Marc N. Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA. Potenza, Marc N. Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA. Potenza, Marc N. Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, 06109, USA. Potenza, Marc N. Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA. Dritschel, Barbara. School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9JP, UK.