the relationship between depression and broader autism phenotype in nonclinical population

Background: autism spectrum disorder is a lifelong disorder and impairs function of people in different fields. researchers assert that autism characteristics can be seen in the non-clinical population. one of problems which is common in this population is depression. when depression is coupled with an asd, it can lead to a significant decrease of well-being and influence functioning. this research is aimed at studying the relationship between autistic characteristics and depression in male participants. methods: this cross-sectional study was conducted in shahed university on male students. 180 questioners were distributed, but data of 120 students were appropriate to analysis. the subjects were assessed on the depression [bdi-ii] and the autism-spectrum quotient [aq]. data were analyzed in spss-23 and amos. results: results of sem show that after controlling the measurement error and overlap among components of aq, social skills [r = 0.20, p < 0.05], attention switching [r = 0.18, p < 0.05], and attention to details [r = -0.17, p < 0.05] had significant effects on depression. conclusions: better cognitive functioning may increase people’s awareness of their functional problems, especially in social situations, contributing to a negative self-image and emotional distress. the increased awareness of failure in the people with hfasd may lead to depression.