Feeling of loneliness and its correlation to self-esteem in children with Asperger’s disorder in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Sultan Mousa Al-Owidha,Nevien Mohammed Zahran

doi:10.21833/ijaas.2021.11.002

Abstract

Asperger's Disorder (AS) and feeling of loneliness (FOL) are related to low self-esteem (SE) in children as many autistic children do not participate in society. However, there was a need to further explore the correlation between the feeling of loneliness (FOL) and self-esteem in children with AS in the Saudi context. This study aimed at investigating the type of correlation between FOL and SE in the sample of children with AS and typically developing children from primary school pupils in Riyadh. It drew a comparison between the study sample individuals regarding psychological loneliness as well as SE according to the sex variable (male/female) and developmental disorder variable (children with AS and typically developing children). It further discussed the prevalence of psychological loneliness, low self-esteem, and negative social perception in individuals with an autism spectrum disorder. It adopted the descriptive approach (correlative/comparative). The data were statistically analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient, two-direction variance analysis (2x2), and T-Test. This is a pioneering study in terms of emphasizing the importance of early detection and intervention to identify children with AS and taking precautionary measures and treatment in the Saudi context. The findings indicated that FOL is negatively correlated to SE in children with AS and typically developing children of both sexes. This result is consistent with the findings of the previous studies. It was also found that male children with AS demonstrated more FOL and less SE than female children with AS. The study also provided some educational recommendations and proposed further research in this area. It also recommended developing training programs and courses for parents to optimally deal with the mentally retarded child.

Highlights

feeling of loneliness (FOL) is an Asperger's Disorder (AS) and painful emotional experience resulted from a lack of quality and quantity of social correlation (Weeks and Asher, 2012)
After statistically analyzing the data, the results indicated that FOL was positively associated with depression and anxiety and negatively with SE, life satisfaction, social interaction and the ability to make friends with adults with Autism Spectrum disorder, and the ability to make friendships in the correlation between FOL and psychological well-being have not been mediated
To verify the first hypothesis, which states that "there is a statistically negative and significant correlation between the scores obtained by the study's overall sample individuals of children with AS and typically developing children on the "child psychological loneliness" scale and the degrees that the same individuals receive on the "Child's SE" test

Summary

Introduction

FOL is an AS and painful emotional experience resulted from a lack of quality and quantity of social correlation (Weeks and Asher, 2012). This painful feeling results in a desire to avoid others because of a sense of inferiority and lack of self-confidence. SE is considered an important concept which grants an individual strength and flexibility for his/her human behavior. It is associated with self-reliance, feelings of self-confidence, competence, Sultan Mousa Al-Owidha, Nevien Mohammed Zahran/International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 8(11) 2021, Pages: 10-21 and a sense of happiness and complacency. SE has a deep impact on aspects of an individual's life, level of performance at work, ways of interacting with others, and level of psychological health (Domitrovich et al, 2008)

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Results

Conclusion