一個人唔等於孤獨：研究整理自閉青少年點樣講「孤獨」同「有連結」 Alone Is Not Lonely: What Research Says About How Autistic Young People Describe Loneliness and Connection

作者 Byline：周Sir／chausir.com

本文由 AI 協助整理公開資料。 This article summarises public research with AI assistance.

1. 呢份研究做咗啲咩 ｜ What the study looked at

中文

英國 York St John 大學嘅 Lisboa White、Tecwyn 同 Petty，喺 2024 年 10 月於期刊《Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders》發表一篇開放取用嘅系統性回顧，整理自閉青少年對孤獨同連結嘅描述。團隊按 PRISMA 流程搜尋，最終納入 41 項研究（質性 24、定量描述 11、混合 4、其他 1），總計約 1,952 位參與者，當中約 826 位係自閉青少年，研究遍及 12 個國家，多數喺美國同英國。[1]

English

Lisboa White, Tecwyn and Petty at York St John University published an open-access systematic review in October 2024 in the Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. They gathered how autistic young people describe loneliness and connection. Following a PRISMA search, they included 41 studies (24 qualitative, 11 quantitative descriptive, 4 mixed methods, 1 other), covering about 1,952 participants, of whom about 826 were autistic young people, across 12 countries, mostly the United States and the United Kingdom. [1]

2. 研究見到咩關聯 ｜ What links the review found

中文

好多定量研究顯示，自閉青少年報告嘅孤獨感分數，傾向高過非自閉同齡人；孤獨亦同較高嘅焦慮分數有關聯。不過作者強調，現有孤獨量表多數用「有冇朋友」「有冇人傾計」呢類神經典型假設嚟定義，未必反映自閉青年自己嘅體驗。

質性描述方面，孤獨常同被排除、冇人明白、或者「唔夾喺群體入面」有關；相反，「唔孤獨」往往同被接納、被理解、可以做自己、有共同興趣、信任同互惠有關。想交朋友唔係每個自閉青少年都一樣強：有人好想有伴，有人因為社會壓力先去「扮正常」，亦有人覺得一個人玩興趣、同寵物相處、或者喺安全環境慢慢認識人，已經夠有意義。以上只係整理出嚟嘅關聯同聲音，唔代表孤獨一定導致某啲後果，亦唔代表每個自閉青少年都寂寞。[1]

English

Across many quantitative studies, loneliness scores reported by autistic young people tended to be associated with higher scores than those of non-autistic peers of the same age. Loneliness was also associated with higher anxiety scores. The authors stress, however, that many loneliness scales define the construct with neuronormative assumptions such as "having friends" or "having someone to talk to," which may not capture autistic young people's own experience.

In qualitative accounts, loneliness was often linked with exclusion, not being understood, or not fitting into a group. Feeling "not lonely," by contrast, was often linked with acceptance, being understood, being able to be oneself, shared interests, trust and reciprocity. The wish for friendship was not equally strong for every autistic adolescent: some wanted company; some "acted normal" under social pressure; others found meaning in solitary hobbies, time with pets, or getting to know people slowly in a safe setting. These are patterns of association and lived voice, not proof that loneliness always leads to particular outcomes, and not a claim that every autistic young person is lonely. [1]

3. 讀研究時要留意 ｜ Reading the findings with care

中文

呢篇回顧整理嘅係「孤獨同連結點樣被描述、同邊啲經驗一齊出現」，唔係證明孤獨必然導致某一結果。一個人安靜玩、有安全空間，同「感到孤獨」係兩回事；神經典型嘅友誼標準（例如朋友數量、閒聊頻率）唔係唯一量度。研究樣本主要來自美國同英國等地，香港學校同朋輩文化唔同，只可以作參考。出街版唔推介任何特定學派，只提醒家長可以由「接納、理解同節奏」切入理解，而唔好淨係追「交到幾個朋友」。[1]

English

This review maps how loneliness and connection are described, and which experiences tend to appear alongside them. It does not prove that loneliness necessarily leads to any one outcome. Quiet time alone in a safe space is not the same as feeling lonely; neuronormative friendship norms (for example number of friends or how often one chats) are not the only measure. Most of the evidence comes from the United States, the United Kingdom and similar settings; Hong Kong’s school and peer culture differ, so the findings are a reference only. This article does not promote any particular school of practice; it invites parents to start from acceptance, understanding and pace, rather than counting how many friends the young person has made. [1]

4. 香港家長可以點留意 ｜ Small things Hong Kong parents can notice

中文

香港家長如果見到孩子成日自己一個、唔去聯誼，唔好即刻當「冇朋友就一定慘」。呢篇回顧提醒：孤獨係主觀感覺。家長可以問「邊啲時候你覺得有人明你？」「邊啲活動你覺得舒服？」而唔係只追「你今日交到幾個朋友」。學校同屋企可以一齊睇：有冇欺凌或者被排擠；有冇共同興趣嘅小組；節奏可唔可以慢啲、少啲被迫閒聊。如果孩子話「想有真正明白自己嘅人」，重點係接納同安全，而唔係逼佢變成「好受歡迎」。

喺 CRP（Communication, Relationship, Parenting）嘅角度，連結本身就牽涉溝通同關係：家長、孩子同身邊人肯慢慢傾「邊度覺得被明、邊度可以鬆啲」，孩子先較容易感覺到自己有份。研究只係參考；每位青少年節奏唔同。如有持續情緒困擾，可打 999 或情緒通 18111。

English

If a Hong Kong parent sees a young person spending a lot of time alone and skipping social gatherings, it helps not to assume that "no friends" always means distress. This review reminds us that loneliness is a subjective feeling. Parents can ask "When do you feel understood?" and "Which activities feel comfortable?" rather than only "How many friends did you make today?" Home and school can look together at whether bullying or exclusion is happening, whether there are shared-interest groups, and whether the pace can slow with less forced small talk. If the young person says they want someone who truly understands them, the focus is acceptance and safety, not pushing them to become popular.

From a CRP (Communication, Relationship, Parenting) point of view, connection itself is about communication and relationship: when parents, young people and those around them keep talking about where understanding is felt and what could ease, the young person is more likely to feel involved. The research is a reference only. Every adolescent has their own pace. If emotional distress continues, call 999 or the 24-hour Mental Health Support Hotline 18111.

資料來源 ｜ Sources

1. Lisboa White, L., Tecwyn, E. C., & Petty, S. (2024). Experiences of loneliness and connection for autistic young people: A systematic review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Advance online publication, 24 October 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-024-00487-6 （開放全文 Open access: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40489-024-00487-6 ）

免責聲明 ｜ Disclaimer

教育資訊，非診斷或醫療建議。 Educational information, not a diagnosis or medical advice.

周Sir 嘅講座同文章屬家長教育，不提供診斷、評估或治療，亦不提供醫療或用藥建議；如有需要，請諮詢合資格專業人士。

Chau Sir's talks and articles are parent education. They do not provide diagnosis, assessment or treatment, and do not provide medical or medication advice. If needed, please consult a qualified professional.