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Autism Spectrum and Developmental Disorders

Suicidal Ideation in a Community-Based Sample of Autistic Teens

(PS3-B34) Suicidal Ideation in a Community-based Sample of Autistic Teens

Friday, November 17, 2023
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM PST
Location: Regency Ballroom, Level 7
Autistic youth have higher rates of suicidal ideation (SI) (25.2%), than the general teen population (2.2%) (O’Halloran et al., 2022; Mayne et al., 2021). Studies of autistic high schoolers report these risk factors: diagnosis of autism vs. Asperger’s Syndrome, higher anxiety and depression levels, higher IQ score, less educated parents, and being a girl. Gender diversity (GD) is a risk factor. Other possible risk factors merit study as does comparison between community- and clinic-based samples. This study hypothesizes: subjects in a community-based sample will exhibit known risk factors and others e.g. GD and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function- 2 (BRIEF-2) emotional control, inhibit (proxy of impulse control), and self-monitor (proxy of social ability) domains. The sample included 80 autistic teens (81.2% assigned male at birth, 71.8% White, FSIQ: M=97.31, SD=14.38) aged 14 to 18 (M=16.27, SD=1.24) with a community diagnosis of autism supported by the Social Communication Questionnaire (>7) and received school-based services for autism. They and their parents participated in a school-based intervention trial during the COVID-19 pandemic. SI was measured by teen-report on the Beck Depression Inventory-2 (BDI-2). The BRIEF-2 Parent- and Self-report measured Executive Function (EF). GD was measured by discrepency in either parent and child reported gender or sex assigned at birth and child reported gender. The Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-2) measured autism traits. The Anxiety Scale for Children Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASC-ASD) and the Parent Rated Anxiety Scale (PRAS) measured anxiety traits. 16.5% of teens endorsed SI. No significant difference emerged by SI endorsement for income, race, and ethnicity. Like past studies, teens endorsing SI in the past two weeks reported higher BDI-2 scores (t(83)=-4.08, p=0.003) and performance anxiety (t(83)=-2.47, p=0.008. They were more likely to be gender diverse (X2= 3.86, p=0.049, η=0.21), have higher BRIEF-parent self monitor scores (t(83)=-1.78, p=0.04) and BRIEF-self emotional control t-scores (t(83)=-1.43, p=0.004) t scores. A borderline trend emerged of teens who endorsed SI having higher IQ scores (t(71)=-1.50, p=0.07), parent-reported SRS-2 cognition sub scale t scores (t(81)=-1.50, p=0.057) and repetitive and restrictive behavior (RRB) sub scale t scores (t(81)=-1.47, p=0.073), BRIEF-parent emotional control t scores (t(83)=-1.61, p=0.06), BRIEF-self inhibit t scores (t(83)=-1.36, p=0.09) total anxiety scores on the PRAS-ASD (t(83)=-2.68, p=0.079) and the ASC-ASD (t(83)=-1.32, p=0.095), being younger (t(79)=1.41, p=0.08) and being assigned female at birth (X2=3.13, p=0.08, η=0.19). Similar rates of SI in community- and clinic-based estimates occurred. Autistic teens had higher rates of SI than the general teen population (2.2%). Teens who endorsed SI had more depression and anxiety symptoms, EF challenges, GD, and higher SRS-2 RRB and cognition t scores, further confirming known risk factors and suggesting that EF and GD are worth further study. Study recruitment continues and will include 90 new teens by the date of the conference, to allow a sufficient sample size to run binomial regressions to identify the most salient predictors of SI.