Umagami, K;
Remington, A;
Lloyd-Evans, B;
Davies, J;
Crane, L;
(2022)
Loneliness in autistic adults: A systematic review.
Autism
, 26
(8)
pp. 2117-2135.
10.1177/13623613221077721.
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Abstract
In this systematic review, we examined quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies on loneliness in autistic adults. A total of 1460 articles were identified, and 34 of these met inclusion criteria. Results demonstrated that (1) there is a paucity of qualitative data providing first-hand descriptions of loneliness from autistic adults; (2) few empirical studies have used reliable/valid measures of loneliness developed specifically for autistic adults, and in just one study was a measure of loneliness developed for, and validated in, autistic adults; (3) the collective dimension of loneliness (i.e. belonging in society) has been described by autistic adults, yet has not been investigated as frequently as the intimate (i.e. romantic relationships) or relational (i.e. friend/family relationships) dimensions of loneliness; (4) the factors associated with increased loneliness in autistic adults include autistic characteristics, anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation, negative experiences and learned helplessness, a lack of autism understanding and acceptance, sensory avoidance, camouflaging and unemployment; and (5) the factors associated with decreased loneliness in autistic adults include having relationships, participation in social skill interventions and/or experiencing fewer difficulties with social skills, positive views and acceptance of oneself, being female and time spent engaging in activities (e.g. online gaming). Directions for future research are considered.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Loneliness in autistic adults: A systematic review |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1177/13623613221077721 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1177%2F13623613221077721 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2022 by The National Autistic Society, SAGE Publications. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Psychology and Human Development UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Social Research Institute |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10142084 |
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