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Self-harm and Suicidality Experiences of Middle-Age and Older Adults With vs. Without High Autistic Traits

Authors :
Stewart, Gavin R.
Corbett, Anne
Ballard, Clive
Creese, Byron
Aarsland, Dag
Hampshire, Adam
Charlton, Rebecca A.
Source :
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. August, 2023, Vol. 53 Issue 8, p3034, 13 p.
Publication Year :
2023

Abstract

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.<br />Author(s): Gavin R. Stewart [sup.1] , Anne Corbett [sup.2] , Clive Ballard [sup.2] , Byron Creese [sup.2] , Dag Aarsland [sup.1] , Adam Hampshire [sup.3] , Rebecca A. Charlton [sup.4] [...]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
01623257
Volume :
53
Issue :
8
Database :
Gale General OneFile
Journal :
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsgcl.755413869
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05595-y