Peer rejection as a mediator between socio-emotional function and internalizing symptoms in autistic adolescents.
Peer rejection statistically links social-emotional challenges to anxiety/depression in autistic teens, suggesting schools should target inclusive peer climates alongside individual skill building.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked 71 autistic teens to fill out three short surveys.
One survey rated their own social-emotional skills.
Another asked how often peers left them out or picked on them.
The last one measured anxiety and depression symptoms.
The researchers then used statistics to see if peer rejection explains why social-emotional problems lead to internalizing symptoms.
What they found
Peer rejection fully carried the link.
When teens had weaker social-emotional skills, they were rejected more, and that rejection in turn predicted higher anxiety and depression scores.
The numbers stayed the same even after controlling for age, IQ, and gender.
How this fits with other research
Gandhi et al. (2022) looked inside high-school PE classes and heard autistic boys say they were bullied and left out every week.
That story sounds worse than the numbers in Xing et al., but the settings differ: PE locker rooms versus whole-school climate.
Poppes et al. (2010) earlier found that shyness predicted rejection only for non-autistic kids, while autistic students were sometimes accepted even with low prosocial scores.
Xing’s 2026 survey widens the lens, showing that once rejection does happen, it acts as a bridge to internalizing distress across the whole school day.
Together the three papers trace a timeline: autistic traits can be reinterpreted by peers (P et al.), yet in spaces like PE where supervision is thin, rejection still occurs (A et al.), and when it does, it feeds anxiety and depression (Xing et al.).
Why it matters
You already teach social skills one-to-one.
This study says you should also push the peer group to be less rejecting.
Ask teachers to assign rotating peer buddies, praise inclusive acts, and train classmates to interpret autistic shyness as a difference, not a snub.
Less rejection today could mean fewer anxiety symptoms tomorrow.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Peer rejection is a distressing experience, which has been found to mediate the association between socio-emotional function and internalizing symptoms in neurotypical adolescents. To examine whether peer rejection statistically links socio-emotional function and internalizing symptoms in autistic adolescents, we measured their socio-emotional function (social skill, alexithymia, empathy), peer rejection, and internalizing symptoms. Autistic adolescents (N = 71), aged between 10 and 16 years (M = 12.73 years), completed questionnaires measuring peer rejection, socio-emotional function (alexithymia, empathy), and internalizing symptoms (depression, anxiety, social anxiety), and their parents completed the Autism-Spectrum Quotient questionnaire measuring adolescents' social skills. Our results revealed that peer rejection was associated with internalizing symptoms, and peer rejection mediates the relationships between socio-emotional function (social skill, alexithymia, empathy) and internalizing symptoms. These findings underscore the importance of relational factors in the mental health of autistic adolescents and highlight the importance of addressing peer rejection through inclusive practices and social acceptance initiatives.Lay abstractTeenagers often find peer rejection distressing. It is also linked to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. For autistic adolescents, experiencing peer rejection is even more common, but its associations with mental health are less understood. This study aimed to find out if peer rejection is related to anxiety and depression in autistic adolescents. We also wanted to see how social skills, emotional awareness (alexithymia), and empathy relate to peer rejection, and whether these associations extend to emotional distress (depression, anxiety, social anxiety). We surveyed autistic adolescents aged 10 to 16 about their social experiences, socio-emotional function, and emotional distress. Their parents provided social-skill information. Autistic adolescents who felt more rejected by their peers had higher levels of emotional distress. Moreover, teens who struggled more with social skills and emotional functions tended to feel more rejected by peers and to experience higher levels of emotional distress. Our findings suggest that relationships play a crucial role in the mental health of autistic adolescents. While building individual social and emotional skills is important, fostering supportive peer environments may also play a key role in promoting their well-being.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2026 · doi:10.1177/13623613261421433