Autism Traits, Sensory Over-Responsivity, Anxiety, and Stress: A Test of Explanatory Models
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Updated: Feb 7, 2026

Social Isolation Model: A Noninvasive Rodent Model of Stress and Anxiety
Published on: November 11, 2022
Georgina A Amos1, Graeme Byrne2, Philippe A Chouinard3
1School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bendigo, VIC, Australia.
Abstract:
The relationship between autistic traits, stress, and anxiety experienced by the general population was investigated using an adult sample that evaluated the suitability of three theoretical models proposed by Green and Ben-Sasson. Participants completed online questionnaires that were analysed using structural equation modelling and partial correlation analyses. Of the models tested, the model that proposed SOR and stress as mediators of the relationship between autistic traits and anxiety was able to explain the variance in the data better than the other models. Based on these findings, we suggest that sensory neutral environments should be considered for the prevention and management of anxiety and stress symptoms for people in the general population with higher levels of autistic traits.
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