Only 6.9% of Neurotypical Youth Experience the Same Thoughts and Behaviors
Researchers from Vanderbilt University recently set out to measure suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescents with autism and compared those rates to neurotypical adolescents. Unlike previous research that used single-item questionnaires that were either parent- or self-reported, this current research relied upon a clinician-rated measure of suicide risk that had not been tested with adolescents with autism. The current study utilized the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale to assess STBs and NSSI in a community sample of 239 early adolescents (10-13.9 years old). The sample included 138 adolescents diagnosed with autism and 101 neurotypical subjects. The researchers analyzed diagnostic (autistic vs. non-autistic) and sex-based (male vs. female) differences and consistent reporting across self- and clinician-rated measures. Findings showed that more adolescents with autism (33 of 138, 23.9%) reported lifetime STBs and NSSI than neurotypical adolescents (7 of 101, 6.9%). Notably, they did not find any sex-based differences. The authors discovered that while most neurotypical youth were consistent in their reporting of suicidal thoughts on self- and clinician-rated measures, nearly one in five adolescents on the spectrum disclosed suicidal thoughts on a self-report measure but failed to report those thoughts to a psychiatrist. Ultimately the Vanderbilt researchers suggested that autism diagnostic status, but not sex, presents a significant risk for STBs and NSSI in early adolescents. They also found the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale to be a valuable measure of suicide risk for some adolescents on the spectrum but warn that it may not detect all adolescents with autism experiencing suicidal thoughts.
