A Measurement Invariance Analysis of the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire and Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale in Autistic and Non-Autistic Adults.
Mirabel K Pelton, Hayley Crawford, Ashley E Robertson and 3 others
PMID 32954219WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic and non-autistic adults answered the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire differently, so its burdensomeness and belonging scores should not be compared directly.
After one confusing item was removed, the fearlessness about death scale gave comparable scores.
Key findings
01The burdensomeness subscale of the INQ-10 did not function the same way for autistic and non-autistic adults.
02The belonging subscale of the INQ-10 also could not be treated as fully comparable between the groups.
03After removing the item the steering group found most confusing, the ACSS-FAD scores could be compared between autistic and non-autistic adults.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
Participants self-reported an autism diagnosis by a specified medical professional, and the diagnosis was not verified. The study used existing online survey data, so it cannot show how questionnaire responses change over time. The non-autistic group was matched on group size, mean age, and gender frequency, but the groups differed in employment, living with support, mental illness, neurodevelopmental conditions, and post-graduate education, so other differences may explain the findings. The INQ-10 did not fit cleanly, so conclusions about item meanings depend on model choices. The ACSS-FAD result is for a modified scale, not the original scale as published. The steering group was one male and one female autistic adult without intellectual disability, and the paper notes that autistic people with intellectual disability were not explored.
The easy way to misread this
Do not use the INQ-10 burdensomeness or belonging scores to compare autistic and non-autistic adults as though the scores mean the same thing. The study found those subscales did not function the same way in the two groups.