Social isolation and loneliness in adults over 50 with high autistic traits

Abstract Social isolation and loneliness are major public health issues, especially in old age, with serious health impacts. Some populations, such as autistic people, have been found to report high rates of social isolation and loneliness compared to their non-autistic peers. Among 9,979 participants aged 50+, 672 met the AQ-10 cut-off for probable autism, while 9,307 formed a comparison group. Those above the AQ-10 cut-off reported greater social isolation and loneliness. Path analysis showed that sex, depression, anxiety, and trauma partly mediated this association. Males reported more social isolation, while females experienced more loneliness. Linear regression highlighted specific autism-related traits were associated with social isolation and loneliness; aloof personality correlated with social isolation, while rigid personality and pragmatic language difficulties were linked to loneliness. These findings underscore the urgent need for autism-aware support systems to reduce social isolation and loneliness among autistic adults in midlife and older age.