Abstract
BACKGROUND: Very few studies have examined associations between autistic traits, sleep, and the well-being of university students, and the aim of the present study was to address this knowledge gap. METHODS: Three hundred and eight university students carried out an online survey consisting of the Comprehensive Autistic Traits Inventory (CATI), the Short-Form Well-Being Process Questionnaire (SWBPQ), the Short-Form Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and the Short-Form Sleep Questionnaire. RESULTS: Univariate analyses revealed significant correlations between the CATI subscales and the SDQ outcomes, but there were few associations between the CATI scales and the well-being outcomes, which were associated with the sleep scores and the well-being predictors. No interactions were found between the predictor variables. This profile was confirmed in the multivariate analyses, which also showed significant associations between the CATI scores and well-being predictors. CONCLUSIONS: CATI scores were associated with the outcomes of strengths and difficulties but showed few significant associations with the WPQ outcomes, which were predicted by sleep and well-being predictors. However, evidence of the indirect effects of the CATI scores on well-being came from the associations between the CATI scales and the well-being predictors.