COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW
A systematic review of romantic relationship initiation and maintenance factors in autism
Rui Ying Yew,
Priscilla Samuel,
Merrilyn Hooley,
Gary B. Mesibov,
Mark A. Stokes,
Rui Ying Yew
School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorPriscilla Samuel
School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorMerrilyn Hooley
School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorGary B. Mesibov
Division TEACCH, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Mark A. Stokes
School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Correspondence
Mark A. Stokes, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, 1 Gheringhap St, Geelong, Victoria 3220, Australia.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorRui Ying Yew,
Priscilla Samuel,
Merrilyn Hooley,
Gary B. Mesibov,
Mark A. Stokes,
Rui Ying Yew
School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorPriscilla Samuel
School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorMerrilyn Hooley
School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorGary B. Mesibov
Division TEACCH, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Mark A. Stokes
School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Correspondence
Mark A. Stokes, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, 1 Gheringhap St, Geelong, Victoria 3220, Australia.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorStatement of Relevance: Autistic individuals report similar levels of interest in romantic relationships to their nonautistic peers but experience greater challenges with initiating and maintaining these relationships. This is the first systematic review examining important factors involved in romantic relationship success and challenges for autistic individuals. Better social functioning and communication were identified as being related to success (e.g., ability to initiate relationships and maintain satisfying relationships). This review also highlights the need for research on the societal factors influencing relationship success for autistic individuals.
Abstract
Autistic individuals report similar levels of interest in romantic relationships to their nonautistic peers but experience greater challenges with the initiation and maintenance of these relationships. This systematic review synthesizes the factors that contribute to romantic relationship initiation and maintenance among autistic individuals to inform relationship support programs. Both successes (e.g., ability to initiate relationships and maintain a satisfying relationship) and challenges (e.g., relationship dissatisfaction) were investigated. Out of 1403 potentially relevant articles, 11 articles comprising 13 studies met the inclusion criteria (investigated factor[s] of romantic relationship success of challenges, involved participants with a formal autism diagnosis and/or their partners, presented quantitative results in relationship factors, and was available in an English-language version). Social and communication challenges were studied to the greatest extent and were associated with difficulties in both relationship initiation and satisfaction. Several factors relating to the partner of the autistic individual were associated with successful relationships, including reciprocal liking, partner support, and the ability to meet the autistic partner's needs. Conclusions are limited by the small number of studies but provide initial indications that social and communicative factors, as well as the role of nonautistic partners, are important to the success of romantic relationships for autistic individuals. In keeping in line with the community's preference for identity-first language (i.e., “autistic individual” rather than “individual with autism”), this language has been used throughout this review.
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.
Supporting Information
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Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
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