The association between COVID-19, personal wellbeing, depression, and suicide risk factors in Australian autistic adults.
Darren Hedley, Susan M Hayward, Kathleen Denney and 9 others
PMID 34545706WHAT IT FOUND
Self-reported impact of the pandemic was not linked to suicide risk scores in autistic adults.
Personal wellbeing was the only significant predictor of lower risk. Therapists should focus on building general life satisfaction rather than assuming pandemic stress directly drives suicidality.
Key findings
01COVID-19 impact scores showed no significant association with suicide risk factors.
02Personal wellbeing was a significant predictor of lower suicide risk, whereas depression and COVID-19 impact were not significant predictors in the regression model.
03Qualitative responses revealed that 22% of participants experienced mild or positive impacts from the pandemic, such as reduced social pressure and increased productivity from working from home.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The cross-sectional design cannot establish causality. The sample was recruited from existing longitudinal studies, which may bias results toward those with higher mental health needs and excludes those with intellectual disabilities or higher support needs. The pandemic impact in Australia was relatively mild compared to other countries, limiting generalizability. The SBQ-R was not specifically validated for autistic adults at the time of the study. The sample size for men was small, limiting the interpretation of gender differences.
Declared interests
The authors declared no actual or potential conflicts of interest. Funding was provided by the Australian Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council, Suicide Prevention Australia, and the University of Melbourne.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that pandemic-related stress directly increases suicide risk in autistic adults. The study found no significant link between self-reported COVID-19 impact and suicide risk scores, suggesting that other factors like general wellbeing are more predictive.