Evaluating Social Motivation As a Predictor of Change in Loneliness in the Context of Individualized Treatment

Background:  

Young adults who have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) without co-occurring cognitive deficits often encounter marked interpersonal difficulties within the university setting.  As adolescents with ASD develop, many become more aware of their social difficulties.  Despite an increase in the number of students with ASD enrolled in universities, there currently is no empirically-supported intervention designed to target the social needs of college students with ASD.  The social difficulties that university students with ASD present with can lead to social isolation and loneliness.  Children and adolescents with ASD report higher levels of loneliness when compared to typically developing (TD) peers (Bauminger & Kasari, 2000; Lasgaard, Nielsen, Eriksen, & Goossens, 2010).  Individualized social intervention in the university setting may promote changes in loneliness symptoms among a young adult ASD sample.

Objectives:  

It is possible that young adults who are more motivated to socially engage with others will experience more loneliness, especially in the college milieu. This study evaluated social motivation as a predictor of change in loneliness in the context of individualized treatment.

Methods:  

Data from a preliminary randomized controlled trial (RCT) are analyzed. The trial will be complete in late April of 2014, so we will have data analyses completed by the conference. Eight students with a previous diagnosis of ASD, confirmed by the ADOS-2 (Lord et al., 2000) and a clinical interview were recruited to participate in this ongoing study.  Participants were randomly assigned to one of two pilot interventions.  Young adults participating in the College and Living Success (CLS) intervention (n=4) receive individual therapy with a trained graduate clinician, social outings in the campus community, and supportive coaching all on a weekly basis.  The CLS intervention targets emotion-regulation, anxiety, social-integration, and skills of daily living.  Students participating in the Brain Computer Interface (BCI) program (n=4) practice social interaction and interpreting emotional facial expressions in a virtual reality setting on a desktop computer.  During baseline evaluation and upon completion of the interventions, students complete measures of social motivation (Social Responsiveness Scale-2-Adult Self-Report; Constantino & Gruber, 2005) and loneliness (UCLA Loneliness Scale Version 3; Russell, 1996). 

Results:  

The sample was predominantly male (n= 5) with age ranging from 18-23 years (M=20.95), and estimated Verbal IQ ranging from 86-136 (M = 120.33). Self-report measures of loneliness and social motivation from baseline to endpoint will be assessed using reliable change index scores (Jacobson & Truax, 1991).

Conclusions:  

The potential implications for the study are twofold.  First, if the CLS or BCI intervention programs are efficacious at minimizing loneliness symptoms in college students with ASD, the results may inform future intervention tested with larger sample sizes.  Second, if social motivation is identified as a predictor of loneliness symptoms, this may elucidate benefits or weaknesses in interventions which target motivating social involvement.