a

SAD

Using SPIN scores to investigate the relationship between autistic traits and SAD, as demonstrated by Figure 2a, Step One determined that SPIN scores were a significant predictor of AQ score, β =.51.,SE =.03, t (358)=11.29, p <.001, accounting for 26.1% of the variance,F (1,358)=127.52, p <0.001. Step Two demonstrated SPIN scores were also a significant predictor of IU scores,β =.55, SE =.03, t (358)=12.46,p <.001, and accounted for 30.1% of the variance in AQ scores F (1,358)=, p <0.001. The previous model has already demonstrated that both IU and SOR are significant predictors of AQ, satisfying Step Three for each model. The final Step of the mediation process involved predicting AQ with SPIN and IU scores, with this model accounting for 32.1% of the varianceF (2,357)=85.94, p <0.001, yet both SPIN scores (β =.35, SE =.03, t (358)=6.69,p <.001) and IU scores (β =.30, SE =.04,t (358)=5.74, p <.001) remained significant predictors. A Sobel test was conducted and revealed partial mediation in the model as the effect of SPIN was significantly reduced when controlling for IU (z= 8.10, p <0.001).
Regressions were also conducted to determine if SOR may be a mediator between SAD and ASC, with the final model demonstrated in Figure 2b. SPIN scores were a significant predictor of SOR scores, β =.41,SE =.08, t (358)=8.61, p <.001, and accounted for 16.9% of the varianceF (1,358)=74.14, p <0.001. In the final step of the model, SPIN scores remained a significant predictor (β =.35,SE =.03 t (358)=7.75, p <.001) even after controlling for SOR scores (β =.38, SE =.02,t (358)=8.43, p <.001), with the model accounting for 38.2% of the variance in AQ scores,F (2,357)=111.78, p <0.001. A Sobel test was conducted and revealed partial mediation in the model (z= 6.91,p <0.001).