Associations of autistic traits, sleep/circadian factors, and mental health in a community-based survey study.

Autistic individuals experience a heightened risk of depression and lower quality of life; however, the biological underpinnings for this increased risk remain to be fully established. We assessed whether disruption of self-reported sleep and circadian factors mediates the associations of autistic traits with depression symptom severity and quality of life in a community-based survey study. A total of 838 participants (mean: 52.8 [SD = 1.3] years, 70 % females) from a large-scale observational survey completed the Autism Quotient Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Cantril Ladder quality of life, Insomnia Severity Index, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire. Higher autistic traits were significantly associated with higher depression symptom severity (p = 0.04) and significantly lower quality of life (p