Autism traits dimensionality and multivariate relationship with alexithymia and anxiety in the general population.
Autism traits split into three factors, and alexithymia is the bridge that turns those traits into anxiety in typical adults.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Barros et al. (2022) looked at adults from the general population. No autism diagnosis was needed.
They gave three questionnaires: the Autism Spectrum Quotient, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and a trait-anxiety scale.
Stats tests asked: do autism traits split into clear factors, and does alexithymia sit between those traits and anxiety?
What they found
The AQ broke into three clean factors, not one big score.
Alexithymia fully carried the link: more autism traits → more alexithymia → more anxiety.
In plain words, trouble naming feelings explains why autistic-like traits often feel anxious.
How this fits with other research
Kamp-Becker et al. (2009) found two factors in higher-IQ people; Filipa adds a third factor in everyday adults. The extra factor matters when you interpret new AQ data.
Redquest et al. (2021) showed loneliness mediates the trait-anxiety link in diagnosed autistic young adults. Filipa swaps the mediator to alexithymia in neurotypical adults. Different groups, different bridges, same pathway idea.
Bitsika et al. (2020) saw sensory avoiding mediate parent-reported anxiety in autistic boys. Again, the mediator changes with age and sample, but the chain—autism feature → mediator → anxiety—holds.
Aponte et al. (2025) found restricted/repetitive behaviors mediate anxiety in autistic adults. Filipa’s three-factor model lets you see which AQ slice lines up with those behaviors.
Why it matters
When you screen adults, look at the three AQ factors instead of a single total. If alexithymia is high, teach feeling-ID and coping skills early; this may stop anxiety from growing. The same mediation logic works across diagnoses, so check the mediator that fits your client—feelings, loneliness, or sensory needs.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Autism is characterized by social and non-social alterations observed beyond the clinical diagnosis. Research analyzing the expression of autism traits in the general population helps to unravel the relationship between autism dimensions and other associated variables, such as alexithymia and anxiety. The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) was developed to assess autism traits in the general population; however, inconsistent results regarding its dimensionality have emerged. AIMS: This study aimed to extend evidence about the AQ measurement model, and explore the multivariate relationship between autism traits, alexithymia, and trait anxiety. METHODS: 292 adults of the general population were recruited. An Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were performed to assess the factorial structure of AQ. A path analysis was carried out to explore the relationship between autism traits, alexithymia, and trait anxiety. RESULTS: The results supported a three-factor model of AQ. The path analysis model showed evidence of a significant role of alexithymia as a mediator of the relationship between autism traits and anxiety. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The present study provides empirical support for a three-factor model of AQ in the general population. The association between autism traits, alexithymia, and anxiety dimensions highlights the multidimensional nature of these variables and the need to account for their distinct impact on autism-related variables.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2022 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104361