Perspective of Turkish society toward autistic individuals: Personal experiences, knowledge, and interaction comfort.

Researchers surveyed 507 Turkish adults about their experiences and comfort levels around autistic people. Most people had only indirect experience with autism but showed good knowledge and comfort levels. People felt more comfortable in work settings than social ones. The study found that having good knowledge about autism helped people feel more comfortable, especially when their past interactions were positive.

This Turkish study examined factors influencing public attitudes toward autistic individuals among 507 adults. Participants primarily had indirect experience with autism, but showed relatively high knowledge levels and interaction comfort. Comfort levels varied significantly by demographic characteristics and were lower in social versus professional settings. The study found that knowledge mediated the relationship between personal experience and interaction comfort, with this effect being significant only when interaction quality was high.

The research highlights the importance of knowledge and meaningful interactions in shaping public attitudes toward autistic individuals.

Findings suggest autism awareness programs should focus on building knowledge and facilitating high-quality interactions. Interventions targeting social settings may be particularly needed. Professional development programs could leverage existing comfort in workplace contexts to improve broader social inclusion.

Single country study limits generalizability. Snowball sampling may introduce bias. Study relies on self-reported measures which may not reflect actual behavior. Cross-sectional design prevents causal inferences.

Despite increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autistic individuals, factors shaping social interactions involving autistic individuals in the general population remain relatively underexplored. This study examined the interrelationships among personal experience, knowledge, and interaction comfort toward autistic individuals among Turkish adults and explored demographic differences. A total of 507 participants (aged 18+) were recruited using snowball sampling, and data were collected via an online survey. Data were analyzed using descriptive, comparative, and correlational analyses, followed by regression-based mediation and moderated mediation models (PROCESS macro).

Participants primarily reported indirect experiences with autistic individuals, and both knowledge levels and interaction comfort were relatively high, with significant differences across several demographic characteristics. Interaction comfort was lower in social than in professional settings and varied according to levels of support needs. Knowledge mediated the relationship between personal experience and interaction comfort. The indirect effect was significant only at higher levels of interaction quality.

These findings highlight the role of knowledge and interaction quality in shaping interaction comfort and suggest the importance of interventions that promote meaningful and informed interactions. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.