Weak ties and the value of social connections for autistic people as revealed during the COVID-19 pandemic

Pellicano, E. & Heyworth, M. (2025). Weak ties and the value of social connections for autistic people as revealed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Communications Psychology, 3(1), 36-36. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00208-7

Publication date: 6 Mar 2025 Added to AutiHub: 5 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English

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Authors

Publication authors
2
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 2 (50.0%)

Abstract

A diverse portfolio of social relationships matters for people's wellbeing, including both strong, secure relationships with others ('close ties') and casual interactions with acquaintances and strangers ('weak ties'). Almost all of autism research has focused on Autistic people's close ties with friends, family and intimate partners, resulting in a radically constrained understanding of Autistic sociality. Here, we sought to understand the potential power of weak-tie interactions by drawing on 95 semi-structured interviews with Autistic young people and adults conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analysed the qualitative data using reflexive thematic analysis within an essentialist framework. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Autistic people deeply missed not only their close personal relationships but also their "incidental social contact" with acquaintances and strangers. These weak-tie interactions appear to serve similar functions for Autistic people as they do for non-autistic people, including promoting wellbeing. These findings have important implications both for future research into Autistic sociality and for the design of practical services and supports to enhance Autistic people's opportunities to flourish.

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Cited references
84
Total cited references integrated for this publication.
Cited references with an identified autistic author
10 / 84 (11.9%)
Cited author occurrences identified as autistic
18 / 309 (5.8%)
Among occurrences linked to AutiHub author records: 18 / 111 (16.2%). Distinct cited authors identified as autistic: 14 / 285 (4.9%).
Cited author occurrences linked to AutiHub author records
111 / 309 (35.9%)
Distinct linked cited authors: 92 / 285 (32.3%)
Linked cited-author occurrences not identified as autistic
93 / 111 (83.8%)
Among linked cited-author occurrences only. Across all cited-author occurrences: 93 / 309 (30.1%). Distinct linked cited authors not identified as autistic: 78 / 92 (84.8%).
2 cited bibliography entries could not be fully enriched from DOI metadata.
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