Friendship quality among autistic and non-autistic (pre-) adolescents: Protective or risk factor for mental health?
Rachel A G O'Connor, Neeltje van den Bedem, Els M A Blijd-Hoogewys and 2 others
PMID 35068188WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic pre-adolescents reported less positive friendship quality than non-autistic peers, while negative features were similar.
They also had more depressive and anxiety symptoms. For the 18 autistic girls, higher positive friendship quality appeared linked to higher anxiety.
Key findings
01Autistic young people reported lower positive friendship quality than non-autistic young people, while negative friendship quality was similar between groups.
02Autistic young people also had more depressive symptoms and more parent-reported anxiety symptoms than non-autistic young people.
03Higher positive friendship quality was associated with fewer depressive symptoms, and higher negative friendship quality was associated with more depressive symptoms. Anxiety showed a different pattern: it was not significantly associated with positive friendship quality for non-autistic young people or autistic boys, but was significantly associated with higher positive friendship quality for autistic girls.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only 18 autistic girls were studied, so results for autistic girls, especially the anxiety finding, are uncertain. The study measured friendship quality and symptoms at one time, so it cannot show whether friendships affect mental health or mental health affects friendships. Two autistic and four non-autistic participants were excluded for IQ below 70, and 26 participants were removed from friendship analyses because they did not complete the friendship questionnaire, so the findings may not apply to all autistic young people. Depression was self-reported by young people, but anxiety was parent-reported, so the two symptom types were not measured the same way. The friendship questionnaire may have measured non-autistic young people's friendship less consistently in this study. There was no community involvement in the study.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. Funding came from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research under grant number 45207004.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that improving friendships will reduce anxiety or depression. The study measured friendship quality and symptoms at the same time, so it cannot show which came first. Do not treat the autistic girls finding as a stable effect. Only 18 autistic girls were studied, and the authors say the strength of the association cannot be estimated accurately.