Adult attachment, empathy, and the broad autism phenotype

The concept of autism as a distinct disorder began in the 1940s and has been investigated heavily since then. Recent research has deemphasized the view of autism as a dichotomy (i.e. autistic vs. typical) and has begun to examine a spectrum of autistic symptoms that may not constitute a strictly defined disorder. The current study examined the broad autism phenotype (BAP), which is the expression of autistic-like traits that would not meet diagnostic criteria for autism. The aim of the study was to examine the relation of BAP characteristics to the romantic functioning of college students, considering empathy as a possible mediating factor. Results indicated that BAP personality characteristics were associated with increased attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance, as well as decreased empathy. Empathy mediated the relationship between BAP and attachment avoidance but not attachment anxiety.