Social Connectedness and Loneliness Mediate the Association Between Autistic Traits and Internalizing Symptoms Among Young Adults.
Among college students, stronger autistic traits predict anxiety and depression only when students feel lonely and disconnected.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked college students to fill out three short surveys. One survey measured autistic traits. One asked about social connectedness and loneliness. The last one asked about anxiety and depression symptoms.
They used statistics to test if social problems explain why autistic traits link to mental health issues.
What they found
Students with more autistic traits felt less connected and more lonely. These social problems then predicted higher anxiety and depression. Loneliness and poor social connection acted as a bridge between autistic traits and internalizing symptoms.
How this fits with other research
Adams et al. (2024) found the same bridge in autistic teens and young adults. Instead of autistic traits, they started with "my social life is not enough." Loneliness still led to depression, showing the pathway holds across groups.
Trevisan et al. (2016) and Cramm et al. (2009) already showed that college students with high autistic traits struggle on campus. Stice et al. (2019) now explain why: social disconnection and loneliness are the key middle steps.
Lo et al. (2025) moved the same mediation idea to older adults. They swapped loneliness for poor theory of mind, showing the trait-to-isolation link persists across the lifespan.
Why it matters
If you work with college students, screen for loneliness even when autism is not diagnosed. High autistic traits alone predict anxiety and depression only when students feel disconnected. Build social belonging—peer mentors, clubs, residence-hall programs—to cut the bridge and protect mental health.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Adults with autism and subclinical autistic traits report greater internalizing problems than their peers, but the psychological processes underlying these associations are not well understood. The current study used structural equation modeling to examine whether social experiences (social connectedness and loneliness) mediate the link between autistic traits and internalizing symptoms among 821 college students. Those with higher total Broader Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ) scores reported lower social connectedness, which related to greater loneliness, and, in turn, greater anxious and depressive symptoms. Relations with specific BAPQ subscales were also examined. Results indicate that, among young adults, stronger subclinical autistic traits relate to greater mental health and social difficulties and point to the important role of social experiences in mental health adjustment.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2019 · doi:10.1007/s10803-018-3812-6