Common Venues in Romantic Relationships of Adults With Symptoms of Autism and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Open accessAbstract
Introduction: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) figures among the most common neurodevelopmental disorders. Despite having opposite stereotypes, both ADHD and ASD compromise, though in different ways, skills such as social interactions, communication skills, and social thinking, which may underlie difficulties in romantic relationships. Methods: We evaluated 306 adults about their romantic relationships and the intensity of their love. Participants were from one of four groups:, individuals with ASD-only traits, a group with symptoms of ADHD-only, participants with neither ADHD nor ASD symptoms (control) or from a fourth group of individuals with both ADHD and ASD traits. Results: The ASD traits group had fewer married people and more people who have never been married, while the rate of divorce was higher in the ADHD traits group. Regarding the intensity of love, the mean scores of the ADHD and the ADHD+ASD traits groups were higher in the Passionate Love Scale than the mean score of the control group. Passionate love in the ASD group was no different from the other groups. Small positive correlations were found between passionate love and ADHD and ASD behavioral problems. Conclusion: Marital status was distinct depending on symptoms of a neurodevelopmental disorder in adulthood. Also, ADHD and ASD symptoms were associated with greater passionate love. Therefore, ADHD and ASD behavioral dimensions may impact long-term and short-term experiences of a person's relationship with a significant other in distinct ways. Understanding how people with neurodevelopmental disorders experience love might help us to better clarify the mechanisms associated with their relationship patterns.
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Given that intimacy mediates the negative impact of ADHD on relationship satisfaction in non-ADHD partners and that adults with ADHD experience a heightened intensity of passionate love, fostering intimacy and excitement in romantic relationships may be helpful for supporting the challenging aspects of impulsivity and attention regulation differences.
“Given that intimacy mediates the negative impact of ADHD on relationship satisfaction in non‐ADHD partners (Ben‐Naim et al. 2017) and that adults with ADHD experience a heightened intensity of passionate love (Soares et al. 2021), fostering intimacy and excitement in romantic relationships may be helpful for supporting the challenging aspects of impulsivity and attention regulation differences.”
From “I Felt Like a Burden”: An Exploration Into the Experience of Romantic Relationships for People With ADHD (2026) · cites this paper as Soares et al. 2021
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Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredAdults with ADHD show higher rates of relationship dissolution and tendencies toward social isolation, often due to difficulties interpreting social cues.
“Individuals with ADHD also show higher rates of relationship dissolution and tendencies toward social isolation, often due to difficulties interpreting social cues”
From ADHD in Adulthood: Clinical Presentation, Comorbidities, and Treatment Perspectives (2025) · cites this paper as [12]
The Discussion (page unavailable) reports a higher chance of divorce in the ADHD-traits group, and the Introduction describes social difficulties and peer rejection. It does not establish a tendency toward social isolation. The Discussion also suggests that people with ADHD may perceive social cues accurately but have difficulty acting appropriately, rather than attributing these outcomes to difficulty interpreting cues. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredSoares et al. have found that ADHD traits are linked to heightened experiences of passionate love.
“While participants' experiences of impulsivity can be challenging in terms of seeking novel stimulation, Soares et al. have found that ADHD traits are linked to heightened experiences of passionate love (Soares et al. 2021).”
From “I Felt Like a Burden”: An Exploration Into the Experience of Romantic Relationships for People With ADHD (2026) · cites this paper as Soares et al. 2021
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References 71 · Cited by 17
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- [30]Barkley R Murphy K Fischer M. ADHD in Adults: What the Science Says. (2010). Available online at: https://books.google.com.br/books?hl=pt-BR&lr=&id=4BI0OAbz054C&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=Barkley,+R.+A.,+Murphy,+K.+R.,+%26+Fischer,+M.+(2010).+ADHD+in+adults:+What+the+science+says.+Guilford+Press.&ots=4gSXC5n64S&sig=nLBGCkqliUcqQELKvZQI34KzMLU (accessed July 15, 2020).
- Authors
- Soares, L. S., Alves, A. L. C., Costa, D. D. S., Malloy-Diniz, L. F., Paula, J. J. D., Romano-Silva, M. A., & Miranda, D. M. D.
- Affiliations
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (BR)
- Corresponding author
- Miranda, Débora Marques de
- ORCID
- Venue
- Frontiers in Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2021-06-18
- Volume
- 12
- Pages
- 593150-593150
- ISSN
- 1664-0640 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8249738
- OpenAlex
- W3174558804
- Cited by
- 17
- References
- 71
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 2
- FWCI
- 1.05
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Frontiers in Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, romantic relationships, passionate love, marital status, divorce, neurodevelopmental disorders, adults, behavioral problems, social interaction difficulties
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