A Mixed Methods Evaluation of Social Experiences and Well-Being of College Students with ASD

Background: As more individuals with ASD attend college, there has been a growing interest in the experience of college students with ASD. It is common for students with ASD to experience difficulties while at college, particularly in the domain of social interaction (Adreon & Durocher, 2007). Well-being is associated with social interaction in typically developing populations, but less is known about the role that social interaction plays in well-being for individuals with ASD. For example, social activities typically thought to be stress-reducing for students may actually increase feelings of stress in persons with ASD due to restricted interests as well as the challenges involved with establishing new social networks (Glennon, 2001).

Objectives: This mixed-methods study examined the relationship between well-being and the social experience of college students with ASD. In doing this, we hoped to gain a better understanding of 1) the well-being of college students with ASD, 2) the social experience of college students with ASD, and 3) how social participation and social support relate to well-being.

Methods: This mixed-methods study utilized a convergent design (QUAN+QUAL) using information from an online survey and a semi-structured follow-up interview. The survey included several previously validated measures and questions about participants’ backgrounds, types of social participation, forms of informal social support, and well-being. The interview gave us deeper insight into participants’ experiences regarding their social relationships and engagement. Correlations were used to examine the relationship between social participation items, perceived social support, and well-being. For qualitative analysis, we used an inductive thematic analysis to allow for themes to naturally emerge from the interviews. Following these separate analyses, joint displays that integrated descriptive statistics, qualitative themes, theme counts, and individual quotations were created to facilitate the interpretation and integration of quantitative and qualitative data. Finally, meta-inferences were included based on an overall review of data to facilitate interpretation.

Results: Students with ASD reported spending the most time doing hobbies by themselves, over spending time with friends, participating in school clubs, and participating in sports. Time spent hanging out with friends was positively associated with subjective well-being (r=0.44). In interviews, participants mentioned common themes around the challenge of new social expectations, struggling to make social connections, and the trade off between socializing and succeeding academically. Participants also mentioned many positive social experiences and talked about their preferred methods of finding friendships at college. Furthermore, immediate family, other relatives, friends, and school personnel were the most frequently-endorsed forms of social support. Perceived social support was positively correlated with well-being (r=0.371). In the interview, participants spoke about the importance of both their family and friends as social support. They also mentioned the potentially positive and negative roles professors can play as social support.

Conclusions: This study adds a new perspective to the current body of literature related to the college experience for students with ASD and highlights the important role that social support and interaction play in their well-being.