Autistic traits and negative emotions in the general population during COVID-19: Mediating roles of the behavioural immune system and COVID-19 risk perception

Xudong Zhao; Wendian Shi; Xiujun Li; Wenrui Li; Chunbo Li

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113918

Autistic traits and negative emotions in the general population during COVID-19: Mediating roles of the behavioural immune system and COVID-19 risk perception

Psychiatry Res. 2021 Jun:300:113918. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113918. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Authors

Xudong Zhao¹, Wendian Shi², Xiujun Li², Wenrui Li², Chunbo Li³

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Department of Psychology, School of Education, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China.
² Department of Psychology, School of Education, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China.
³ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Institute of Psychology and Behavioral Science, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: licb@smhc.org.cn.

Abstract

Identifying the susceptibility factors of the emotional response to COVID-19 is highly significant for the psychological epidemic-crisis intervention, and autistic-related traits (ATs) is likely to be one of the candidate factors. The current study explored the relationships between ATs, emotional response to COVID-19, and the behavioural immune system (BIS) measured by trait pathogen avoidance and COVID-19 risk perception in the general population. The results showed that ATs predicted increased negative emotions directly and indirectly by enhancing the activation tendency of BIS and COVID-19 risk perception. The findings provide a candidate hypothesis for the reaction characteristics to pathogen threats in individuals with ASD and expand the understanding of individual differences in response to COVID-19.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Autistic traits; Behavioural immune system; COVID-19; Negative emotions; Perceived risk.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Autistic Disorder / psychology*
COVID-19 / psychology*
Emotions / physiology*
Female
Humans
Immune System
Individuality
Male
Perception*
Young Adult