Examining the Relationship Between Autism Traits and Sleep Duration as Predictors of Suicidality.
K D Hochard, R Pendrous, T Mari and 1 others
PMID 32086693WHAT IT FOUND
Higher autism traits and shorter sleep were linked to more suicidal thoughts.
Longer sleep did not change the link between autism traits and suicidal thoughts. These are links, not causes.
Key findings
01In the final sample of 650 adults, higher autism traits were linked to more suicide ideation after age and sex were considered.
02Shorter sleep duration was linked to more suicide ideation in the same regression model.
03Sleep duration did not change the link between autism traits and suicide ideation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
All measures were self-report, so sleep duration and suicide ideation may be inaccurate. The suicide measure has not been validated in people with autism, so the clinical risk cut-off may not work for autistic adults. Sleep duration was measured with a single item, so reliability could not be checked. Participants were recruited through social media and only three reported intellectual disabilities, so findings may not apply to people with severe autism or intellectual disability. The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that sleep problems or autism traits cause suicide ideation. The sample was a general population online sample, not a clinical autism service sample, and many participants had comorbid conditions.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that improving sleep will reduce suicidal thoughts. This was a self-report survey, not an intervention study, and the interaction between autism traits and sleep was not significant.