Stewart, Gavin R.; Corbett, Anne; Ballard, Clive; Creese, Byron; Aarsland, Dag; Hampshire, Adam; Charlton, Rebecca A and Happé, Francesca. 2023. Self-harm and suicidality experiences of middle-age and older adults with vs. without high autistic traits. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53(8), pp. 3034-3046. ISSN 0162-3257 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

Suicide has been identified as a leading cause of premature death in autistic populations. Elevated autistic traits have also been associated with higher rates of self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicidal self-harm in the general population, but this has yet to be examined in older age. Using baseline cross-sectional data from the PROTECT study, middle-age and older adults with high autistic traits (n = 276) had significantly higher rates of suicidal ideation, deliberate self-harm, and suicidal self-harm than an age/sex-matched comparison group (n = 10,495). These differences represented a 5- to 6-fold increase in likelihood for self-harming and suicidality. These findings, which remained when controlling for depression symptoms, suggest that middle-age and older adults with high autistic traits may be particularly at risk of self-harm and suicidal behaviours.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05595-y
Additional Information:	This paper represents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at South London; Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care South West Peninsula; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Exeter Clinical Research Facility; Economic and Social Research Council via the London Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership.
Keywords:	Autistic traits, Older Age, Self-Harm, Suicidality, Suicide
Departments, Centres and Research Units:	Psychology
Dates:	Date Event 27 April 2022 Accepted 26 May 2022 Published Online August 2023 Published
Item ID:	31746
Date Deposited:	28 Apr 2022 07:54
Last Modified:	18 Jul 2023 13:44
Peer Reviewed:	Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.
URI:	https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/31746

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