Autistic Girls but Not Boys Show a Strong Association Between Internalizing Symptoms and Social Motivation.

Researchers studied how social interest and emotional problems (like anxiety and sadness) relate to each other in autistic and non-autistic children. They found that autistic children generally have less social interest than other children. Importantly, for autistic girls, having less social interest was strongly linked to more emotional problems, but this wasn't true for autistic boys. This suggests that autistic girls and boys may have different experiences with social situations and mental health.

This study examined relationships between internalizing symptoms (anxiety, depression, somatization), social motivation, and gender among 386 autistic and non-autistic youth aged 6-14 years. Caregivers completed questionnaires assessing their children's symptoms and social motivation. Results showed autistic participants had lower social motivation than non-autistic peers, with no gender differences within groups. However, the relationship between social motivation and internalizing symptoms varied significantly by gender and diagnostic status.

Autistic girls showed strong associations between lower social motivation and higher internalizing symptoms, while autistic boys showed no such association. This pattern was also observed in non-autistic girls and boys, suggesting gender-specific mechanisms in the relationship between social functioning and mental health.

Results suggest autistic girls may be particularly vulnerable to mental health difficulties when experiencing low social motivation. This highlights the need for gender-informed assessment and intervention approaches, particularly attending to the intersection of autism and gender identity in treatment planning for internalizing symptoms.

Study relies on caregiver reports only, which may introduce bias. Cross-sectional design prevents causal conclusions. The abstract doesn't specify methodology details or control for potential confounding variables. Sample characteristics beyond age range are not described.

The current study examined the associations between internalizing symptoms, social motivation, and gender among autistic and non-autistic youth. Caregivers of 386 participants age 6 to 14 years completed measures of their child's internalizing symptoms and social motivation. Correlation and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to compare internalizing symptoms and social motivation across autistic and non-autistic girls and boys. Social motivation was found to be higher among non-autistic participants compared to autistic participants, with no significant gender differences observed in social motivation within groups.

Social motivation was found to be a significant predictor of internalizing symptoms. The association between social motivation and internalizing symptoms varied by gender and diagnostic status. Higher internalizing symptom scores were associated with lower social motivation among autistic girls, non-autistic girls, and non-autistic boys, but no association was found among autistic boys. The current study found that the relations between social motivation and anxiety, depression, and somatization symptoms in autistic youth varied by gender.

The strong association between internalizing symptoms and social motivation among autistic girls and not autistic boys may be due to the unique social experiences and expectations associated with the intersecting gender and neurodivergent identities of autistic girls. The findings of the current study underscore the value of adopting an intersectionality perspective by considering both the influence of gender and neurodivergent identities together when addressing the social experiences and mental health of autistic youth.