Autistic Spectrum Disorder Tendencies and Social Adjustment in Japanese Female University Students

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the causal relationship between Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) tendencies and social adjustment in Japanese female university students from the perspective of a sense of Ibasho, particularly a sense of being accepted by others. Following the data collected from 121 female university students, a model based on the study hypothesis was constructed, and the validity was investigated by employing structural equation modeling. The results of the analysis revealed that while ASD tendencies decreased social adjustment directly, a sense of Ibasho buffered the negative causal effects of these tendencies.