Social anxiety tendency and autism spectrum disorder in Japanese adolescence

In Japanese high schools, understanding of school non-attendance and students with developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is gradually improving. On the other hand, few people recognize social anxiety disorder (SAD), the onset of which commences during youth. Social anxiety disorder and ASD share various overlapping characteristics but have different diagnostic criteria. The anxiety caused by these disorders sometimes appears as school non-attendance. This study examines the relationship between SAD, ASD, and history of school non-attendance in high school students.

One hundred and fifty-eight students at one Japanese high school that accepts school non- attending students were investigated. To understand the features of ASD and how it relates to SAD tendencies, the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale - Japanese (LSAS-J) and Autism-Spectrum Quotient - Japanese (AQ-J) were used. Based on the LSAS-J cutoff point, participants were divided into high and low anxiety groups and then data were compared between the two groups. Potential factors associated with a high-SAD trend were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression.

The results showed that students with high ASD scores were more likely to have SAD and that a lack of "social skill," a subscale of ASD, was closely associated with a social anxiety trend. However, the relationship between school non-attendance and social anxiety could not be confirmed.

Focusing on the lack of social skills in ASD may provide an opportunity to identify students with high SAD tendencies. This study will contribute to the understanding of high school students with high SAD tendencies in Japan.