Previous studies have reported that people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have higher levels of loneliness than neurotypical (NTP) people, most likely because of their difficulties in social communication with their predominantly NTP peers. However, direct investigations on the causal influence of friendship on their feelings of loneliness is…

Introduction: Friendships of adolescent girls play a significant role in providing socio-emotional support and enabling the attainment of developmental tasks. The present exploratory paper focuses on an aspect of close friendships that has yet to be widely examined, which we described as the Adverse Dyadic Friendship (ADF). This is a friendship…

Play is a central feature of childhood and a fundamental right of all children. Currently, our understanding of autistic play is based on a deficit perspective, most often framed in comparison to neurotypical 'norms' and assumptions where the views of the players themselves have been overlooked. In moving towards a strengths-based neuroaffirmative…

In a national survey of U.S. adults, the number of close friends increased with age and 76% reported having three or more. However, 8% reported having none. There are limited parallel data for gifted learners but the survey provided an opportunity to compare the two groups. The numbers of close friends for gifted learners appears to increase from…

Autistic children are often reported less socially connected, while recent studies show autistic children experiencing more loneliness in school than allistic (i.e. non-autistic) children, contradicting the traditional view that autistic children lack social motivation. This study aimed to understand individual differences in how social…

Despite the increasing global mobility in higher education, international students in the United States and Japan face persistent challenges in well-being and inclusion. This study investigates international students' experiences of loneliness and their social engagement in a comparative perspective, focusing on friendships and involvement with…

Objective: Depression and anxiety have been identified as growing concerns for many populations in the United States, including young adults. We investigated how internalizing symptoms may have changed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic among students transitioning to college. Participants: Participants were incoming undergraduates in Fall 2020,…

The increasing global mobility of students has heightened the need for deeper insights into the psychological and sociocultural adaptation processes in host environments. This study examines the adaptation experiences of 447 international students in Hungary, focusing on the interplay between psychological and sociocultural dimensions of…

Globalization and migration have led to a multicultural and diverse global society. With increasing numbers of immigrant children, Japanese schools are experiencing diversity. We aimed to fill the gap in understanding the difficulties experienced by immigrant children in Japanese schools with a particular focus on their social, emotional,…