Longitudinal Associations Between Social Experiences and Depression for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Background: Adolescents and young adults with ASD are marked by limited social interactions and high rates of loneliness (Bauminger & Kasari, 2000; Bauminger, Shulman, & Agam, 2003). While these and other deficits in the social lives of young adults with ASD have been well documented, no studies have actually examined the longitudinal effects of loneliness and social experiences on psychological adjustment in this group.

Objectives: To test loneliness and social experiences as predictors of depressive symptoms in adolescents/young adults with ASD.

Methods: Participants were drawn from an ongoing longitudinal study of individuals with ASD first diagnosed at age 2 and followed so far through the age of 22 years (EDX study, C. Lord). Between the approximate ages of 17 and 21 years, participants capable of completing self-report measures (n=38) and their parents filled out questionnaires, either through mailed packets sent out every 6-12 months or as part of a face to face visit that occurred when the individuals were approximately 18 years old.  Questionnaires of interest for the current study included a slightly modified version of the Asher Loneliness Scale and a measure of depressive symptoms (either the Child Depression Inventory or the Beck Depression Inventory), as well as a self-report measure of social experiences developed for the current study.

Results: Time 1 loneliness was correlated with depressive symptoms at all three time points (r_s > .43, p_s < .001), time 2 loneliness was correlated with depressive symptoms at times 1 and 2 (r_s > .49, p_s < .001), and time 3 loneliness was not correlated with depressive symptoms at any time point. Multiple regression analyses indicated that loneliness predicted increases in depressive symptoms from time 1 to time 3 (ΔR² = .19, F = 12.58, p < .003), but depressive symptoms did not predict changes in loneliness over the same period (ΔR² = .01, F = 0.20, p ns).  Analyses were also conducted to examine the links between social experiences, loneliness, and depression, controlling for both age and verbal IQ. First, significant correlations were found between loneliness and time spent with family (r = -.43, p < .01) and at social events (r = -.33, p < .05) but not time spent with friends (r = -.27, p= .13).  Higher rates of time spent with family and at social events were linked to lower rates of loneliness. Subsequent analyses will explore the mediating and moderating effects of social experiences on the relationship between loneliness and depressive symptoms.

Conclusions: Findings suggested a predictive link between loneliness and depressive symptoms in adolescents/young adults with ASD over the course of 4 years. This underscores the importance of addressing loneliness and other aspects of the peer world in interventions for internalizing problems in this group.  Preliminary results also suggest that the interplay between loneliness and time spent with family and friends may be important for understanding depressive symptoms in high functioning young adults with ASD.