The broad autism phenotype predicts relationship outcomes in newly formed college roommates.
Match roommates on aloofness to boost early friendship warmth.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers watched pairs of college roommates who had just met. They measured each student’s level of aloofness—how distant or socially cool they act.
After a few weeks they asked: does matching or mismatching on aloofness change how happy the roommates feel about the new friendship?
What they found
Roommates who were different on aloofness felt less warmth and liked the friendship less.
If both were high-aloof or both were low-aloof, they got along fine. Pragmatic language or rigidity did not matter as much.
How this fits with other research
McGarty et al. (2018) found the same aloofness effect in moms of kids with autism. Bad romantic satisfaction, not friend support, linked their own autism traits to depression.
Jameel et al. (2014) showed students high in autistic traits give and choose fewer kind acts. Less kindness can explain why mismatched roommates feel less warmth.
Callanan et al. (2021) and Liew et al. (2015) link autistic traits to anxiety and depression in college. The roommate study flips the lens: traits shape the social bond itself, not just mood.
Why it matters
When you place clients in dorms, group homes, or day-program tables, check aloofness levels. Pair similar styles to jump-start warmth and cut early conflict. A quick social-preference survey beats random placement.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Although previous studies have reported that the broad autism phenotype is associated with reduced relationship quality within established relationships, understanding how this association emerges requires assessment prior to relationship development. In the present longitudinal study, college roommates with minimal familiarity prior to cohabitation (N = 162) completed the broad autism phenotype questionnaire and intermittently reported on their relationship quality and interpersonal behaviors toward their roommate over their first 10 weeks of living together. Actor-Partner Interdependence Models demonstrated that roommates mismatched on aloofness (one high and one low) had lower relationship satisfaction than those matched on it, with the interpersonal behavior of warmth mediating this association. Because relationship satisfaction remained high when both roommates were aloof, satisfaction does not appear predicated upon the presence of aloofness generally but rather reflects a product of dissimilarity in aloof profiles between roommates. In contrast, although participants reported less relationship satisfaction and commitment with roommates higher on pragmatic language abnormalities, mismatches on this broad autism phenotype trait, and on rigid personality, were less consequential. In sum, these findings suggest that complementary profiles of social motivation may facilitate relationship quality during the early course of relationship development.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2016 · doi:10.1177/1362361315585733