Social Anxiety Symptoms Predict Poorer Facial Emotion Recognition in Autistic Male Adolescents and Young Adults Without Intellectual Disability

Utilizing a novel computerized task, we aimed to examine whether social anxiety symptoms would be related to individual differences in facial emotion recognition (FER) in a sample of autistic male adolescents and young adults without intellectual disability. Results indicated that social anxiety and IQ predicted poorer FER, irrespective of specific emotion type. When probing specific effects within emotion and condition types, social anxiety impacted surprise and disgust FER during a truncated viewing condition and not full viewing condition. Collectively, results suggest that social anxiety in autism may play a larger role in FER than previously thought. Future work should consider the role of social anxiety within autism as a factor that may meaningfully relate to FER assessment and intervention.

Automated summary

Using a new computerized task, this study examined the relationship between social anxiety symptoms and individual differences in facial emotion recognition (FER) among autistic male adolescents and young adults without intellectual disability. The results revealed that social anxiety and IQ were predictors of poorer FER, regardless of specific emotion types. Furthermore, social anxiety affected surprise and disgust FER during a truncated viewing condition but not in full viewing condition. Overall, these findings suggest that social anxiety may play a larger role in FER among individuals with autism than previously believed. Future research should consider the role of social anxiety in autism as a significant factor in FER assessment and intervention.