Online gaming, loneliness and friendships among adolescents and adults with ASD

Adolescents and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are prone to experience poor friendships and loneliness. This group has also shown a particular interest for screen-based media and computer-games. Online multiplayer games have shown to promote social interaction and friendship building among the general population, however, no study has yet investigated these possibilities for persons with ASD. The current study aims to investigate the possible links between online gaming, loneliness and friendships in a sample of 85 adolescents and adults with ASD and a control group of 71 participants. Data was gathered through self-reported questionnaires. Results indicated that within the ASD sample, persons who play online games have more friends than those who do not. Motives to play online games differed between the ASD sample and the control group. Additionally, low to moderate use of online games was linked with less loneliness experienced among participants with ASD. However, friendship quality and having a best or close friend were not linked with online gaming. The results provide the first findings for connections between online gaming, loneliness and friendships among individuals with ASD. It also provides evidence for future studies to further investigate the possible casual effects between online gaming, loneliness and friendship among individuals with ASD.