ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1679206
This article is part of the Research TopicPrevention-oriented suicide risk assessmentView all 3 articles
The Sequential Mediating Roles ofAlexithymia and Interpersonal Problems in the Relationship Between Autistic Traits and Suicidal Ideation: Evidence From Chinese College Students
Provisionally accepted
Sheliang Li1
Wan Wang2*- 1Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
- 2Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
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Background: Although prior studies suggested that higher levels of autistic traits correlated with more suicidal thoughts and behavior, the specific underlying mechanism was not clear. The present study was designed to expand prior findings and test the mediating roles of alexithymia and interpersonal problems on the relation between autistic traits and suicidal ideation among large population-based college samples. Methods: A total of 6,763 college students (including 3,829 females) completed Autism-Spectrum Quotient, Toronto alexithymia Scale-20, Chinese Adolescents Self-Rating Life Events Checklist and Symptom Checklist. Results: 1.54% college students reported high autistic traits and 9.54% college students had suicidal ideation. Autistic traits were positively correlated with suicidal ideation. The sequential mediating effects of alexithymia and interpersonal problems on the relation between autistic traits and suicidal ideation were significant. Conclusions: These findings contribute to our further understanding of how autistic traits affect suicidal ideation in the context of complex risks and outcomes. They are also helpful in the prevention and treatment of suicidal ideation and behaviors.
Keywords: Suicidal Ideation, autistic traits, alexithymia, Interpersonal problems, Chinese
Received: 04 Aug 2025; Accepted: 06 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Wan Wang, wangwan0110@sina.com
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