The Externally Oriented Thinking Facet of Alexithymia Mediates the Negative Association of ASD Symptoms With Cognitive and Emotional Empathy

Empathy deficits associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be attributable to alexithymia, which is common in ASD. Alexithymia is defined by deficient emotional self-awareness and an overly concrete or externally oriented cognitive style. The present study examined this hypothesis, with a focus on the externally oriented thinking (EOT) facet of alexithymia which was previously found to be uniquely associated with deficits in facial recognition of emotions and empathy. There were 331 participants (104 males, 227 females) aged 18-30 years (M = 25.93 years) recruited online. They completed the Autism Quotient (AQ), Toronto Alexithymia Scale 20 (TAS-20), Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) indices of emotional and cognitive empathy, and demographic questions. Hierarchical regressions followed by path analyses indicated mediation of the negative relationships of ASD scores with emotional and cognitive empathy by EOT. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.