Trial reportWomen's health (London, England)
Social engagement and loneliness in school-age autistic girls and boys.
Trial report in Women's health (London, England). The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Disability barriers autistic girls face in secondary education: A systematic review.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2025Pooled it
- Experiences of females on the autism spectrum through the perspective of minority stress theory: a review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Reducing Emotional Burden Carried by Neurodivergent Students in School: Perspectives From Students and School Staff.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Social acceptance of Turkish middle school and Syrian refugee children towards individuals with autism.International journal of developmental disabilities · 2026Article
- Uncovering the Relationship Between Bullying, Social Communication Challenges, and the Emergence of Mental Health Problems Among Saudi Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- "A combination of everything": a mixed-methods approach to the factors which autistic people consider important in suicidality.Autism in adulthood · 2025Article
- Underdiagnosed and Misunderstood: Clinical Challenges and Educational Needs of Healthcare Professionals in Identifying Autism Spectrum Disorder in Women.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- 'Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Is there evidence that playing games promotes social skills training for autistic children and youth?Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2025Review
- Social Skills Interventions for Adolescents with Level 1 Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Clinical neuropsychiatry · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesThis study examines the relationship between social engagement and loneliness in female and male autistic children and adolescents in school-based social settings. Secondary aims sought to explore the emergence of loneliness across different age groups and differences in social engagement and loneliness between genders.
methodsThis study conducted an analysis of previously collected data from two multi-site randomized control trials. This study included 58 autistic students (29 females, 29 males) between the ages 6 through 18 years. Female and male participants were matched on age and intelligence quotient. Concurrent mixed methods were used to examine participants' social engagement and loneliness.
resultsFindings revealed a significant relationship between joint engagement and loneliness, such that autistic students reported more loneliness when they were mutually engaged with social groups than when they were isolated or alone. Positive correlations between joint engage and loneliness were identified in elementary-age girls and secondary-age boys, suggesting that being mutually engaged with peers leads to increased loneliness. Negative correlations between parallel and loneliness identified in secondary-age boys suggested that boys in close proximity to peers felt less lonely than boys who were mutually engaged with peers. Qualitative analysis of social behaviors indicated that elementary girls and secondary boys were more likely to be mutually engaged or in close proximity to activities, but they had difficulty sustaining this engagement throughout the entire social period. Secondary girls and elementary boys, on the other hand, were more likely to be solitary and less likely to engage with peer groups.
conclusionStudy findings highlight the relationship between social engagement and loneliness in school-based autistic populations, and that more engagement itself can lead to more loneliness for younger girls and older boys. The influence of age and gender on engagement and loneliness highlights a need to tailor social interventions to leverage existing social strengths.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.