Kana Grace, Anna Remington, Jade Davies and Laura Crane (2023)
https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231217056
Questionnaires exist to assess loneliness, but do they apply to autistic adults? A study with 203 autistic adults in the UK explored this, using two questionnaires: the UCLA Loneliness Scale 3 and the SELSA (Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults).
Participants shared their experiences of these scales and directly reported how often they felt lonely. The scores on the UCLA and SELSA scales matched the autistic adults’ direct reports.
Autistic people’s feedback provided deeper insight. Participants found the scales challenging to complete, raising important concerns.
3 key themes were found:
Mistaking autism for loneliness. There is an assumption that everyone needs to be social in the same sort of ways. Differing relationships are not valued.
Loneliness is not static – feelings about it change- so reporting loneliness needs more thinking about.
Unclear wording of questions, or limited options for answers. Experiences are complex and questions may not capture this.
The study found a preference for the UCLA scale over SELSA among autistic adults. Recommendations for adapting the UCLA scale to better suit the needs of autistic adults are given.
This research highlights the importance of tailoring loneliness assessment tools to the autistic community, ensuring their experiences are accurately and respectfully captured.