A 'choice', an 'addiction', a way 'out of the lost': exploring self-injury in autistic people without intellectual disability.

There was no non-autistic control group, so the study cannot show whether alexithymia, depression, anxiety and sensory sensitivity are specific risk factors for autistic people. IQ was not measured. The authors inferred no intellectual disability from school and degree information, so the findings may not apply to autistic people with intellectual disability. The study used online self-report questionnaires and a formal autism diagnosis without clinical observation such as ADOS, and many tools were designed for non-autistic people and not validated in autistic groups. Depression and anxiety measures reflected current state over the last fortnight and month, not long-term traits. The variables overlapped statistically. When all were entered together, no single variable stood out, so the study cannot separate their unique contributions. Multiple statistical tests were not corrected, and some qualitative items carried assumptions, so themes may be influenced by researchers' prior knowledge. Recruitment was through support groups and a university database, and the sample was mostly female, so it may not represent all autistic adults. Four respondents were excluded from the analysis because their self-injury occurred in suicide attempts.

The supplied text does not include a funding or conflict-of-interest declaration. The publication types note non-U.S. government research support.

Do not conclude that treating alexithymia, anxiety, depression or sensory sensitivity will reduce self-injury. This was an observational study, not a treatment trial, and when all variables were analysed together no single variable emerged as a significant predictor.