Recent literature has suggested that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autistic traits (ATs) would be more likely to encounter traumatic events in their lifetime and to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the nature of this relationship has not yet been fully elucidated. The aims of this study were to evaluate the relationship between AT and PTSD and to investigate which specific autistic dimension was more associated with trauma and stress-related symptoms.

A total of 68 subjects with ASD and 64 healthy controls (HCs) were assessed with the Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum (AdAS Spectrum) and the Trauma and Loss Spectrum (TALS) questionnaires. Statistical analyses included Mann–Whitney U test, chi-square test, calculation of Spearman’s coefficients, and logistic regression analysis.

Patients with significant AT reported a 30% rate of PTSD and higher TALS total and domain scores than HCs, among whom no PTSD was found instead. Significant positive correlations were reported between AdAS Spectrum and TALS-SR scores in the whole sample. AdAS Spectrum total scores were statistically predictive of the presence of PTSD. High scores at AdAS Spectrum Inflexibility and adherence to routine and Restrictive interest and rumination domains were identified as positive predictors of a probable PTSD.

Compared to HCs, subjects with significant AT are more likely to present symptoms of PTSD. In particular, AT related to ruminative thinking, narrow interests, and sensorial reactivity would seem to predict the presence of post-traumatic stress symptomatology.

最近的文献表明，患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）或自闭症特征（AT）的人更有可能在一生中遭遇创伤事件并患上创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）。然而，这种关系的本质尚未完全阐明。本研究的目的是评估 AT 和 PTSD 之间的关系，并调查哪种特定的自闭症维度与创伤和压力相关症状更相关。

共有 68 名 ASD 受试者和 64 名健康对照 (HC) 接受了成人自闭症阈下谱 (AdAS Spectrum) 和创伤和损失谱 (TALS) 问卷的评估。统计分析包括Mann-Whitney U检验、卡方检验、Spearman 系数计算和逻辑回归分析。

患有显着 AT 的患者报告 PTSD 发生率为 30%，且 TALS 总分和领域得分高于 HC，但其中未发现 PTSD。在整个样本中，AdAS Spectrum 和 TALS-SR 评分之间存在显着的正相关性。 AdAS Spectrum 总分可以统计预测 PTSD 的存在。 AdAS Spectrum 得分高，僵化和遵守常规以及限制性兴趣和沉思领域被确定为可能的 PTSD 的积极预测因素。

与 HC 相比，具有显着 AT 的受试者更有可能出现 PTSD 症状。特别是，与反省思维、狭隘兴趣和感觉反应相关的 AT 似乎可以预测创伤后应激症状的存在。