Autism Spectrum Quotient AQ test2/29/2024 ![]() ![]() 36 has been estimated to reflect a smaller effect (~ r = 0.28) in the general population 37. However, due to matching five controls to every case, the partner correlation ( r = 0.47) observed by Nordsletten et al. 36 which reported that a person diagnosed with autism is 10–12 times more likely to marry or have a child with another autistic person than is someone without such a diagnosis. Assortment also occurs in non-romantic relationships, with friends being more alike than chance for many variables 33, 34, including autistic traits 35.Įvidence for autism being subject to assortative mating comes from a study by Nordsletten et al. For instance, it may be that individuals with similar levels of a given trait consciously or unconsciously seek each other out as romantic partners (active assortment) or that individuals with similar levels of that trait are more likely than chance to share other characteristics, such as a working environment, which may lead to an increased likelihood of a relationship starting (social homogamy) in addition, individuals may begin relationships with others who are more similar to themselves than expected by chance (initial assortment) or become more similar to their partner over the course of their relationship (convergence) 24, 29. There is also more than one process by which assortment could operate. However, this phenomenon is not unique to autism or autistic traits, and assortative mating can occur for a multitude of variables including aspects of demography, attitudes and values, abilities and intelligence, mental health and wellbeing, habitual behaviours and lifestyle factors, personality, and physical and physiological characteristics 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32. A similar process may also occur throughout the general population, whereby a person is more likely than chance to partner with someone who has a similar level of autistic traits to themself. Essentially, this predicts that autistic individuals are more likely than chance to form romantic relationships with other autistic people. The assortative mating theory hypothesised that autism could be subject to positive assortative mating 19, 20, 21, 22, 23. While autistic people on average are less likely to marry or be in long-term relationships 15, 16, many have partners 17 and relatively few report not being interested in being in a romantic relationship 18. Although often considered purely categorically in terms of diagnosis, personality and behavioural characteristics related to autism (henceforth ‘autistic traits’) can be measured quantitatively and are continuously distributed throughout the general population 12, 13, 14. There is a marked sex difference in autism diagnosis, with approximately 3–4 males being diagnosed per every 1 female 2, 3, 4, an effect that may in part be explained in terms of biological factors such as elevated foetal sex steroid exposure 5, 6, 7, 8 and social factors such as gender stereotyping 4, 9, 10, 11. Similar content being viewed by othersĪutism is characterised by unusually routine behaviours, narrow interests, sensory hyper-sensitivity, social and communicative problems, and difficulties in adjusting to unexpected change 1. However, it should be noted that the meta-analytic effect size estimate was small ( r = 0.153) and indicates that only ~ 2% of variance in a person’s score on a phenotypic measure of autistic traits can be predicted by that of their partner. Additionally, a significant within-couple correlation for autistic traits was observed at the meta-analytic level. Follow-up analyses indicated that the observed couple similarity effects are likely consistent with people pairing with those more similar than chance (initial assortment) rather than becoming alike over time (convergence), and to seeking out self-resembling partners (active assortment) rather than pairing in this manner via social stratification processes (social homogamy). Variable-centred analyses revealed positive within-couple correlations for all measures except EQ, although these effects were only statistically significant for unmarried couples and not for married/engaged couples. For a subsample that attended the lab (n = 58 couples), we also investigated theory of mind via facial expressions using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) and attention to detail, a component within systemizing, using the Embedded Figures Task (EFT). To test this theory, we recruited n = 105 heterosexual couples and examined within-couple correlations for autistic traits, empathizing, and systemizing. It has been hypothesised that romantic partners are more similar than chance in relation to autistic traits. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |