New research using data from the Netherlands Autism Register (NAR), one of the cohorts connected to Amsterdam Cohort Hub (ACH), examined sensitivity to social rejection and exclusion among autistic adults. The study shows that autistic adults report slightly higher sensitivity to this ‘social pain’ than non-autistic adults, with self-esteem appearing to play an important role.

Sensitivity to ‘social pain’

Using data from 1,425 autistic and 187 non-autistic adults participating in NAR, researchers examined how strongly people respond to experiences or cues of social rejection and exclusion.

Autistic adults reported somewhat higher social pain sensitivity than non-autistic adults. Women reported higher sensitivity than men, with a similar gender difference in both groups.

The role of self-esteem

Among autistic adults, greater social pain sensitivity was associated with lower self-esteem, but not with cognitive empathy or sensory sensitivity. Lower self-esteem also statistically accounted for the difference in social pain sensitivity between autistic and non-autistic adults.

The findings challenge the assumption that autistic people are generally less aware of or less affected by social rejection and exclusion. They also suggest that heightened social pain should not automatically be considered an inherent characteristic of autism. Because self-esteem is closely related to perceived social acceptance, heightened social pain may also reflect repeated negative social experiences.

As the study was cross-sectional, no conclusions about cause and effect can yet be drawn.

The study was conducted by researchers from GGz Centraal and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Read the full article: Social Pain Sensitivity in Autistic Adults: Associations With Gender, Self-Esteem, Cognitive Empathy, and Sensory Sensitivity.