Why do people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) tend to avoid social interaction? A relevant study to help answer this question was undertaken by Gerber and associates. They compared 155 autistic youth to 145 neurotypical youth in terms of how much they enjoyed interacting with others. These researchers found that autistic youth enjoyed social interaction less than others, and that this lack of enjoyment was associated with social anxiety.
Abstract
Purpose
Social anhedonia is a transdiagnostic trait that reflects reduced pleasure from social interaction. It has historically been associated with autism, however, very few studies have directly examined behavioral symptoms of social anhedonia in autistic youth. We investigated rates of social anhedonia in autistic compared to non-autistic youth and the relative contributions of autism and social anhedonia symptoms to co-occurring mental health.
Method
Participants were 290 youth (Mean age=13.75, N autistic=155) ranging in age from 8 to 18. Youth completed a cognitive assessment and a diagnostic interview. Their caregiver completed questionnaires regarding symptoms of autism and co-occurring psychiatric conditions.
Results
Autistic youth were more likely to meet criteria for social anhedonia than non-autistic youth. There was a significant positive relationship between age and social anhedonia symptom severity, but there was no association between sex and social anhedonia. Dominance analysis revealed that social anhedonia symptom severity had the strongest association with symptoms of depression and social anxiety, while symptoms of ADHD, generalized anxiety, and separation anxiety were most strongly associated with autism symptom severity.
Conclusion
This was the first study to tease out the relative importance of social anhedonia and autism symptoms in understanding psychiatric symptoms in autistic youth. Findings revealed higher rates of social anhedonia in autistic youth. Our results indicate that social anhedonia is an important transdiagnostic trait that plays a unique role in understanding co-occurring depression and social anxiety in autistic youth. Future research should utilize longitudinal data to test the transactional relationships between social anhedonia and internalizing symptoms over time.
Citation
H. Gerber, A., W. Griffin, J., M. Keifer, C., D. Lerner, M., & C. McPartland, J. (2024). Social anhedonia accounts for greater variance in internalizing symptoms than autism symptoms in autistic and non-autistic youth. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Advance online publication.
Dr Martin Fracker 