It’s Not About the Diagnosis: Sibling Relationships of Autistic and Non-Autistic Young Adults

Abstract

Background:

Positive sibling relationships have important implications for the well-being of autistic adults. Yet past research finds that individuals with autistic siblings report lower levels of sibling relationship quality. The research in this area, however, relies on the perspective of non-autistic family members and focuses on families where one sibling has a clinical autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. The current study addressed these limitations by assessing whether autistic young adults also report poorer sibling relationship quality than non-autistic young adults and whether patterns differ by what it means to be autistic.

Methods:

Participants included a total of 964 18- to 29-year-olds (M_age = 24.61, SD = 2.90; 45% female; 58% White) from across the United States who completed an online survey. Participants were assigned to one of four groups: those diagnosed with autism or in the process (n = 97), those who identify as autistic but have not been diagnosed and are not seeking diagnosis (n = 80), those high in autistic traits but do not identify as autistic and have not been diagnosed (n = 67), and the non-autistic (n = 720).

Results:

Results show that young adults in the three autism groups reported poorer relationship quality than the non-autistic group in terms of closeness, conflict, ill-wishes, and parent-mediated relationships. Furthermore, autistic young adults reported greater heterogeneity in sibling relationship quality experiences (except for parent-mediated relationships) than non-autistic young adults. There were no mean or heterogeneity differences among the three autism groups on any relationship quality dimension.

Conclusions:

The findings suggested that autistic young adults report poorer sibling relationship quality than non-autistic young adults and that it does not matter if an individual has been clinically diagnosed with ASD; autistic traits are likely the driver of social experiences, not a diagnosis.

Community Brief

Why is this an important issue?

Siblings can play an important role in supporting young adults through many life transitions, including those experienced by autistic young adults. Because of this, it is important to understand what factors are linked to better or poorer sibling relationship quality. Some studies suggest that sibling relationships are lower in quality when one sibling is autistic. However, these studies have relied only on the perspectives of non-autistic family members and have only included families where the autistic individual has been clinically diagnosed with autism.

What was the purpose of this study?

There were two purposes. First, to examine young adults’ perspectives on their sibling relationship based on whether they were autistic or not. Second, to compare the sibling relationship experiences of autistic adults based on whether they had been clinically diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or are currently seeking a diagnosis, identify as autistic but have not been diagnosed, or have high levels of autistic traits but have not been diagnosed and do not identify as autistic.

What did the researchers do?

A total of 964 young adults from the United States completed an online survey about their sibling relationship quality. Participants came from nearly every state. Just under half were female, and just over half were White.

What were the results and conclusions of the study?

Autistic young adults typically reported poorer relationship quality compared with those who are not autistic. This pattern especially emerged in terms of how emotionally close they felt to their sibling, how much conflict they had, how often they wanted their sibling to fail, and how much their parents helped them stay connected.

There were no differences among autistic adults. Meaning, those clinically diagnosed with ASD, those who identify as autistic, and those high in autistic traits all have similar sibling relationship experiences.

What is new or controversial about these findings?

These findings suggest that, in understanding the social experiences of autistic adults, we should value the perspectives of those who identify as autistic even if they have not been formally diagnosed, just as much as those who have.

What are potential weaknesses in the study?

We did not have information about the participants’ siblings, specifically, whether their siblings were autistic. Future studies should include this information to determine if patterns differ when both siblings are autistic.

How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future?

Our findings affirm and validate the experiences of all autistic adults, whether diagnosed or not. This recognition can help promote understanding and solidarity within the autism community.