Trait Anxiety in ASD: Implications for Empathic Understanding

Background: Empathy can be defined as “natural tendency to share and understand the emotions and feelings of others in relation to oneself” (Jean Decety & Meyer, 2008, p. 1053). Empathy involves both a cognitive (understanding other’s intentions and meaning) and an emotional (feeling what another person is feeling) component. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have been shown to have difficulties with cognitive empathy, specifically perspective taking. These individuals also often feel significant anxiety which may interfere with their ability to empathise.  

Objectives:  This study aimed to examine the relationship between trait anxiety and different components of empathy, and whether this differs in individuals with ASD compared to controls. 

Methods:  Twenty-four individuals aged 16 or older (22 males; mean age 28 years) with a diagnosis of ASD and 24 matched controls (21 males, mean age 27) completed two self-report questionnaires the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI; Davis, 1980) and the State Trait Anxiety Index (STAI; Spielberger, 1983) as part of a larger project examining empathy and social motivation in ASD.  

Results: The ASD group scored lower on all subscales of the IRI, with the exception of the Personal Distress subscale, on which they scored significantly higher (p < .05 for all). The ASD group also scored significantly higher on the STAI (p < .001). The STAI was positively correlated with the Personal Distress subscale in the ASD group only (r = .55, p = .002) and negatively correlated with the Perspective Taking subscale in both groups, though more strongly in ASD (ASD: r = -.53, p = .003; Control: r = -.38, p = .03).  

Conclusions:  Trait anxiety is strongly associated with one’s ability to empathise with another, on both a cognitive and emotional level. Specifically, those with higher anxiety appear to have greater difficulties adopting another person’s perspective. Individuals with ASD experience greater trait anxiety and higher personal distress, which together may be barriers in taking on board another person’s thoughts or feelings.