Brief Report: Do autistic traits explain lower levels of psychological well-being in non-binary individuals?
Brief Report: Do autistic traits explain lower levels of psychological well-being in non-binary individuals?
StatusVoR
Alternative title
Authors
Tokarek͐, Agata
Gąsiorowska, Agata
Król, Magdalena
Monograph
Monograph (alternative title)
Date
2025-04-10
Publisher
Journal title
Research in Autism
Issue
Volume
124
Pages
Pages
1-6
ISSN
3050-6573
ISSN of series
Weblink
Access date
Abstract PL
Abstract EN
The link between autistic traits and gender diversity is well established and it is also known that both autistic and non-binary individuals may demonstrate lower levels of mental health. In this preregistered study, we tested whether autistic traits account for the lower psychological well-being of non-binary people. We compared a group of 135 non-binary individuals with 126 cisgender participants of similar age. We measured their level of autistic traits using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) questionnaire. We treated psychological well-being as a latent variable constructed from the life satisfaction (SWL, cognitive component) and depression (CESD-R, affective component) scales. We found significantly lower psychological well-being, which included both significantly lower life satisfaction and significantly higher levels of depression, and significantly higher levels of autistic traits in non-binary participants compared to cisgender participants. Further analysis of the indirect effect showed that higher levels of autistic traits accounted for the association between non-binary gender identification and lower psychological well-being, confirming the hypothesis. This finding demonstrates the importance of autism screening in the non-binary population. Furthermore, interventions to improve well-being of the non-binary population should not be limited to working with gender dysphoria, but should also consider areas of functioning typically associated with autism.
Abstract other
Keywords PL
Keywords EN
Non-binary gender identity
Autistic traits
Well-being
Depression
Life satisfaction
Autistic traits
Well-being
Depression
Life satisfaction