The relevance of the interpersonal theory of suicide for predicting past-year and lifetime suicidality in autistic adults.
R L Moseley, N J Gregory, P Smith and 3 others
PMID 35313974WHAT IT FOUND
In autistic adults, feeling like a burden and mentally rehearsing suicide predicted suicidal thoughts and attempts.
Being single increased risk via these feelings. Pain tolerance did not predict attempts, and age at diagnosis showed no link to suicidality in this sample.
Key findings
01Perceived burdensomeness significantly predicted both past-year suicide ideation and lifetime suicide attempts, independent of depression and anxiety.
02Mental rehearsal of suicide plans predicted ideation and attempts, while reduced fear of death specifically differentiated those who had attempted suicide from those who only had ideation.
03Being single was associated with higher perceived burdensomeness and depression, which indirectly increased the likelihood of past-year suicide ideation and attempts.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Cross-sectional design prevents establishing causality or temporal direction. Sample was heavily skewed towards autistic women and those with higher education, limiting generalizability. Participants with severe communication difficulties or intellectual disability were excluded. Self-reported diagnoses were not independently verified. Findings may not apply to autistic people from non-Western or non-White backgrounds. Measures may not fully capture the specific experiences of autistic people, particularly regarding thwarted belongingness.
Declared interests
No specific funding sources or author conflicts of interest are declared in the provided text, other than the study being supported by non-US government grants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of association between thwarted belongingness and suicide risk as evidence that social connection is irrelevant. The authors note that standard measures may not accurately capture how autistic people experience belonging, and the cross-sectional nature of the study cannot determine if these factors cause or result from suicidality.