Work

Peer‐shared hobbies and quality of life in boys with autism spectrum disorder: An exploratory cross‐sectional study in Japan

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Aim In adolescence, peer relationships and leisure engagement become central to well‐being. This study aimed to characterize the hobbies of boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and examine whether engagement in peer‐shared hobbies is associated with higher quality of life (QOL) across school stages (upper elementary vs. middle school). Methods This exploratory cross‐sectional study included boys with ASD in Japan ( N = 71). Participants reported hobby types and whether they engaged in these hobbies with friends. QOL was assessed using a validated child‐reported instrument with six subscales and a total score. Group differences (with vs. without peer‐shared hobbies) were tested for each school stage using independent‐samples t ‐tests; effect sizes (Cohen's d ) and both uncorrected and Holm–Bonferroni‐adjusted p ‐values were reported. Proportions were compared with χ 2 tests. Results Many boys expressed a desire to play with friends, but only 36.8% of upper elementary boys and 21.2% of middle school boys did so. Middle school boys with peer‐shared hobbies showed higher unadjusted total QOL than those without such hobbies (e.g., t (31) = 2.55, p = 0.016; d = 1.04), with small‐to‐large advantages on several subscales; however, these differences did not remain statistically significant after Holm–Bonferroni correction. Age‐group comparisons suggested increasing difficulty in achieving peer‐shared hobby engagement from late childhood to adolescence. Conclusion Findings suggest that hobby‐based engagement with peers may be an important—but underrealized—pathway to better QOL in boys with autism. Larger, preregistered studies are warranted to confirm these associations and inform interventions that leverage shared hobbies as a scaffold for social connection and well‐being.

Source: Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences Reports

DOI: 10.1002/pcn5.70276