The relationship between autistic traits, internet addiction, perceived social support and life satisfaction
Makaleler > Tam Makale · 2024
Yazarlar: Sezen KÖSE
Archives of Neuropsychiatry, SCI Expanded İndekslerine Giren Dergi, Uluslararası, Wos, 2024, cilt 62, ss 34-40
DOI: 10.29399/npa.28752
Özet
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with persistent deficits in communication, social interaction and understanding, developing and maintaining relationships, and also atypical sensory issues, insistence on sameness, limited and repetitive interests and behaviors (1).It has been reported that it affects approximately 1-3% of children and adults (2-4).One of the central features of ASD is the significant variability in symptom severity in clinical populations.However, the most common phenotypic presentation of genetic susceptibility to ASD is subclinical autistic traits (ATs) rather than the full-blown clinical disorder (5).In relatives of individuals with ASD; these subclinical traits can be seen in cognitive, communicational, social skills, behavioral context and personality traits; which is referred to as the broad autism phenotype (BAP) (6,7), and it is more common compared to the control group (8,9).Sub-threshold social skill deficiencies, communication problems and some personality traits such as rigidity, hesitation, anxiousness, undemonstrativeness, sensitivity to criticism are seen in BAP, which could lead to lower quality and quantity of friendships during adulthood, by affecting social functionality (6).Introduction: We aimed to examine the relationship between autistic traits, internet addiction and multidimensional perceived social support in individuals aged over 18 years in a non-clinical population sample.Methods: Volunteers were invited to the study via social media and e-mail, and the data were collected using an online questionnaire form.The research sample consists of 355 participants.The sociodemographic and internet usage information of the participants were collected via the Personal Information Form.Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), Young-Internet Addiction Test (Y-IAT), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) which were administered to the participants.Results: As the AQ scores increased, the scores of the Y-IAT also increased, and MSPSS and SWLS scores decreased.According to our results, autistic traits (ATs) were associated with internet addiction, perceived social support and life satisfaction.A positive and significant relationship was found between internet addiction and the sub-dimensions of the autism spectrum questionnaire, such as social skills, shifting attention, attention to detail and communication scores.We stated that 10% of the total variance regarding internet addiction, 8% of the total variance regarding social support and 2% of the total variance regarding life satisfaction are explained by autistic traits.Also, as the level of internet addiction increases, the perceived social support and life satisfaction levels decrease.Conclusion: Individuals with more ATs are more prone to internet addiction.ATs negatively predicted the perceived social support and life satisfaction.Preventive and therapeutic algorithms need to be developed for individuals with autistic traits.