The relationship between social experience and subjective well-being in autistic college students: A mixed methods study.
For autistic college students, feeling connected to friends and having social support are the biggest predictors of well-being.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Heald et al. (2020) asked autistic college students about their social lives and happiness. They used surveys and open-ended questions to learn what helps students feel good.
The team looked at time with friends, feeling understood, and campus support. They wanted to see which social pieces link to well-being.
What they found
Students who felt more connected to friends and who had more social support also reported higher well-being. The more time they spent with friends, the better they felt.
Support from campus groups and feeling understood by peers were strong predictors of happiness.
How this fits with other research
Anderson et al. (2017) first showed that college fit and campus supports matter for autistic students. Heald et al. (2020) now adds that these supports boost well-being through social connectedness.
Grove et al. (2018) found special interests also raise well-being in autistic adults. Together, the two studies show both friends and hobbies help happiness.
Shyu et al. (2026) saw the opposite pattern in adolescents: higher social anxiety predicted lower quality of life. The difference is age and focus. The adolescent study measured anxiety, while the college study measured support. Both agree that social factors shape well-being; the key is whether the social experience feels supportive or scary.
Why it matters
You can increase well-being by helping students build real friendships, not just social skills. Schedule peer mentors, create small-group clubs, and teach faculty to foster inclusive classrooms. Ask students each week, "Who did you hang out with?" If the answer is "no one," adjust the support plan.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This mixed methods study examined the relationship between the college social experience and subjective well-being in autistic students in the Midwestern United States. An online survey focused on social connectedness, social participation, social support, and subjective well-being. A semi-structured interview discussed transition, supports received, and social participation. Correlations and a hierarchical regression were used to examine the relationship between social experience variables and subjective well-being from the survey. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify interview themes. Theme counts for students who reported higher and lower subjective well-being were examined. Social connectedness, time spent with friends, and perceived social support were positively correlated with students' subjective well-being, with social connectedness explaining unique variance. Common themes included challenges navigating a new social environment and the importance of family, friends, and professors in providing social support. Students with lower subjective well-being more frequently discussed struggles to make social connections and the trade-off between socializing and succeeding academically, whereas students with higher subjective well-being more frequently described college as providing opportunities to develop meaningful social connections. This study adds new perspectives on the college experience for autistic students and highlights the important role that social connections and support play in their subjective well-being.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2020 · doi:10.1177/1362361319892457