Satisfaction with social connectedness is associated with depression and anxiety symptoms in neurodiverse first-semester college students.
Erin E McKenney, Jared K Richards, Talena C Day and 9 others
PMID 38380636WHAT IT FOUND
Lower satisfaction with social connections predicted higher depression symptoms across the semester, regardless of how much students wanted social interaction.
However, low social satisfaction did not predict later anxiety, though it was linked to anxiety at the same time. This association held for both autistic and non-autistic students.
Key findings
01Baseline satisfaction with social connectedness negatively predicted sadness and anhedonia throughout the semester, even after controlling for initial depression scores.
02Baseline satisfaction with social connectedness did not significantly predict anxiety symptoms later in the semester, contrary to expectations.
03The link between social connectedness and depression symptoms did not differ based on levels of autistic traits or social motivation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study defined autism dimensionally by trait scores rather than comparing formally diagnosed autistic individuals to non-autistic controls, which may obscure specific effects of an autistic identity. The observation period was short (one semester), so it cannot determine if these relationships hold over longer periods. The measure of social motivation may not fully capture what specific social interactions are pleasurable for neurodiverse students, potentially confounding the anxiety findings. Data was collected during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have altered typical social dynamics and mental health trajectories.
Declared interests
Funding was provided by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The authors declared no other conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that improving social connections will reduce anxiety in autistic students. While low social satisfaction predicted depression, it did not predict later anxiety in this study. Anxiety was only linked to social satisfaction when measured at the same time, and the relationship with future anxiety depended on the student's level of social motivation.