Testing the social motivation theory of autism: the role of co-occurring anxiety

‘Testing the social motivation theory of autism: the role of co-occurring anxiety’

Open Access paper from the JCPP

The Social Motivation Theory proposes that social reward processing differences underlie autism. However, low social motivation has also been linked to higher anxiety. Given the co-occurrence between autism and anxiety, it is possible that anxiety drives the association between social motivation and autistic characteristics. This study tests the mechanisms underlying the association between social motivation and autistic traits.

Authors: Eloise Bagg, Hannah Pickard, Manting Tan, Tim J. Smith, Emily Simonoff, Andrew Pickles, Virginia Carter Leno, Rachael Bedford

First published: 29 December 2023

https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13925

Read the full paper

ACAMH members should follow this link: