Loneliness experience among college students with neurodevelopmental disorders: hope, intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety as serial mediators

Research has demonstrated that college students with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) such as specific learning disorders (SLD) and/or attention deficit disorders (ADHD) often experience higher levels of loneliness compared to their peers. However, only a few studies have explored the contextual factors that predicted this disparity. This study aimed to identify predictors of risk factors (i.e. anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty), and protective factors (i.e. hope and college support) related to their social distress. A total of 690 Israeli college students participated in the study (542 females − 78.6%). Among them, 436 students (63.2%) reported having SLD, and/or ADHD. Participants assessed their levels of loneliness, general anxiety, and intolerance for uncertainty, college support and hope. The results identified a serial mediation model, in which anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty (as risk factors), along with college support and hope (as protective factors) mediated the relationships between NDD and loneliness. Additionally, students with NDD reported higher levels of anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty, as well as lower levels of hope than did the comparison group. These results highlighted the need for comprehensive college-based intervention programmes to meet the special needs of these students.