Well-Being and Self-Disorders in Schizotypal Disorder and Asperger Syndrome/Autism Spectrum Disorder

We explored subjective well-being in two groups of young adult participants diagnosed with either schizotypal disorder (Sd) (n = 29) or Asperger syndrome/autism spectrum disorder (As/ASD) (n = 22). Well-being was impaired in both groups and was lower in the Sd group than in the As/ASD group. Furthermore, there was a negative correlation between well-being and the presence of self-disorders. The negative effect of self-disorders on well-being was still significant when adjusted for diagnosis, age and gender, and level of function. The present findings point toward clinically important disorder-specific differences in the nature of impaired well-being between the Sd group and the As/ASD group, as there seems to be a self-disorder-driven additional contribution to impaired subjective well-being within the schizophrenia spectrum. These findings further nuance the understanding of fundamental and clinically important qualitative differences between the schizophrenia spectrum and the autism spectrum.