Table 3 Participant, study characteristics and outcome data for studies reporting the prevalence of suicidality in autistic and possibly autistic people
Study | Autism | Participant characteristics | Measures | Prevalence | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Authors | Country | Design | Group | Comparator | Sex, Age, Age of diagnosis, IQ, Comorbidity, Employment | Autism and Possible Autism | Suicidality measure, type of report, timeframe, specific items/questions | Suicidality |
Anderson et al. (2020) | Australia | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 102 Autistic | - | 54.6% Male Age range 18–25 + Age diagnosed: 0–12 years (40%), 13–17 years (21%), 18 + years (37%), Unknown (2%) Q unknown (university students) Comorbidity: Depression (40%), Anxiety (68%), ADHD (31%), SH (16%) | Self-identified formal diagnosis | Unstandardised (self-report) Unspecified timeframe Optional questions "During the time I have been a university student… I have never thought about suicide/ I have thought about suicide, but I would not act on those thoughts/ I have made plans to suicide, but I did not act on those plans/ I have attempted suicide" | SI: 37 (48%) SP: 9 (12%) SAB: 1 (1%) |
Arwert & Sizoo (2020) | The Netherlands | Cross-sectional | Clinical 75 Autistic | - | 61.1% Male Age range 19–64 (M = 35.9, SD = 12.96) IQ threshold > 70 Comorbidity: Measured symptoms of Depression Employed: paid (42.7%), voluntary (25.3%) | Formal diagnosis | BSS (self-report) SI: Past 2 weeks SA: Lifetime | SI: 47 (65.3%) SAB: 21 (29.2%) |
Bal et al. (2021) | Korea | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 86 Autistic (KP ASC)1 1292 Possibly autistic (864 KP/ 223 CHEER/ 205 Sooncheon) | 3 population-based samples (14,423 KP/ 3702 CHEER/ 4837 Sooncheon) | Autistic 80.2% Male Age range 7–12 (M = 8.88, SD 1.60) IQ (M = 93.84, SD = 25.3; WISC-III), 17.4% had IQ < 70 Comorbidity: Anxiety (38.4%), Hyperactivity (55.8%) Possibly Autistic 62.5% Male KP (M = 9.43, SD = 1.69); CHEER (M = 10.91, SD = 0.98); Sooncheon (M = 8.82, SD = 1.53) IQ unknown (assumed to have intellectual function in the average range) Comorbidity: Anxiety (KP 38.6%; CHEER 29%; Sooncheon 38.6%), Hyperactivity (KP 55.3%; CHEER 57.9%; Sooncheon 64.9%) | ADI-R ADOS ASSQ DSM-V | BASC-2 PRS-C (informant-report) Past several months Item 92 "I want to die" or "I wish I were dead" and item 138 "I want to kill myself" | Autistic KP ASC SI: 12 (14%) Possibly KP SI: 171 (19.8%) CHEER SI: 61 (27.4%) Sooncheon SI: 34 (16.6%) |
Balfe & Tantam (2010) | UK | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 42 Autistic | - | 88.1% Male Age range 13–64 (M = 26.21, SD = 11.9) IQ threshold ≥ 70 Comorbidity: Depression (35%), Anxiety (51%), Alcohol problems (15%), Drug problems (10%) Employed: paid (28%), voluntary (25.3%) | ADI-R Documented proof | Unstandardised (self-report) Unspecified timeframe "Have you ever thought about killing yourself?" and "Have you ever tried to kill yourself?" | SI: 17 (40%) SAB: 6 (15%) |
Bemmouna et al. (2021) | France | Intervention | Clinical 7 Autistic | - | 57% Male (n = 3) Age range 19–56 (M = 27.71, SD = 13.34) IQ threshold > 80 (M = 108.8, SD = 25.69; WAIS-IV) Comorbidity: BPD (14%), ADHD (29%), SH (57%) Employed: 14% | ADI-R ADOS-2 | Unstandardised pre-inclusion interview questions (self-report) SI: Past year SA: Lifetime "Do you have any history of suicide attempts?/ In difficult situations, some people may have suicidal ideation. Does this apply to you?” | SI: 5 (71%) SAB: 5 (71%) |
Cassidy et al. (2021) | UK | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 308 Autistic (formal diagnosis) 113 Possibly autistic (suspected diagnosis) | 268 Non-autistic | Autistic 27% Male Age (M = 39.71, SD = 13.34) IQ unknown (without ID specified) Comorbidity: Depression (50%), Anxiety (59.74%), PTSD (17.86%), OCD (9.42%), Bipolar Disorder (4.55%), Anorexia (3.9%), Bulimia (1.62%), Personality disorder (6.49%), ADHD (13.64%), lifetime NSSI (62.7%) Employed: full-time (30.19%), part-time (21.43%), voluntary (10.71%) Possibly Autistic 29.2% Male Age (M = 40.34, SD = 13.55) IQ unknown (without ID specified) Comorbidity: Depression (39.82%), Anxiety (44.25%), PTSD (13.27%), OCD (2.65%), Bipolar Disorder (2.65%), Anorexia (0.88%), Bulimia (0.88%), Personality disorder (7.96%), ADHD (7.96%), lifetime NSSI (46.4%) Employed: full-time (41.49%), part-time (16.81%), voluntary (7.07%) | AQ Self-identified formal and suspected diagnosis | SBQ-R (self-report) Lifetime | Autistic SI: 86 (27.9%) SP: 90 (29.2%) SAB: 113 (36.7%) Possibly Autistic SI: 53 (46.9%) SP: 24 (21.2%) SAB: 26 (23%) |
Cassidy et al. (2018) | UK | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 164 Autistic (65 Male/ 99 Female) | 169 General Population (54 Male/ 115 Female) | 39.6% Male IQ unknown (without ID specified) Comorbidity: Depression (79.8%), Anxiety (71.3%), OCD (14.6%), Bipolar (4.9%), Anorexia (5.5%), Bulimia (1.2%), Schizophrenia (3.7%), Personality Disorder (14%), ADHD (6.7%), NSSI (64.6%) Male Age range 20–60 (M = 41.52, SD = 11.73) Age at diagnosis (M = 34.55, SD = 14.75) 46.2% Employed FemaleAge range 20–60 (M = 38.89, SD = 10.47) Age at diagnosis M = 35.06, SD = 11.83) 51.5% Employed | AQ-S Self-identified formal diagnosis | Unstandardised patient screening questionnaire (self-report) Lifetime “Have you ever felt suicidal? If yes, have you ever planned or attempted suicide?” | SBQ-R ≥ 8: 118 (72%)2 SAB: 63 (38.4%) |
Cassidy et al. (2014) | UK | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 374 Autistic | - | 68% Male Age range 17–67 Age at diagnosis (M = 31.5, SD = 10.9) IQ unknown (diagnosed AS) Comorbidity: Depression (32%), OCD (1.1%), Eating Disorder (0.5%), ADHD (1.1%) | AAA AQ Clinical judgement | SBQ-ASC (self-report) Lifetime | SI: 243 (66%) SP/SA: 127 (35%)2 |
Chang et al. (2021) | Taiwan | Cohort | Clinical & TGNC 88 Autistic (24 GD/ 64 No GD) | 42 age + sex matched TD | 89.8% AMAB Age range 17–24.5 (at follow up: M = 20.4, SD = 2.0) IQ threshold ≥ 70 (M = 97.40, SD = 20.47; WISC-III, WAIS-III) Comorbidity excluded: Any major psychiatric disorders, SH (13.6%) | ADI-R (Chinese) DSM-IV-TR SRS | ASRI-4 (Chinese; self-report) Lifetime Item 41 “I think about death or suicide” and item 50 “Have you ever attempted suicide” | GD SI: 11 (45.9%) No GD SI: 18 (28.1%) GD SA: 2 (8.3%) No GD SA: 5 (7.8%) |
Chaplin et al. (2021) | UK | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 12 Autistic (ADOS positive) 36 Possibly autistic (traits) | 153 No NDD | 100% Male Age range 20–50 + IQ unknown (screened with LDSQ) Autistic Comorbidity: Depression (18.2%), GAD (18.2%), PTSD (9.1%), OCD (27.3%), Mania/hypomania (9.1%), Alcohol dependency (9.1%), Drug dependency (18.2%), SH (18.2%) Possibly Autistic Comorbidity: Depression (29.7%), GAD (27%), PTSD (16.2%), OCD (21.8%), Mania/hypomania (21.6%), Psychosis (8.1%), Alcohol dependency (21.6%), Drug dependency (32.4%), SH (18.9%) | ADI-R ADOS AQ-10 AQ-20 | MINI (self-report) and ICD-10 SI: Past month A: Lifetime | Autistic SI: 3 (27.3%) SAB: 5 (45.5%) Possibly Autistic SI: 11 (30.6%) SAB: 24 (64.9%) |
Costa et al. (2020)2 | Luxembourg | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 150 Autistic | 189 Non-autistic | 32.7% Male Age range 18–64 (M = 33.74, SD = 11.81) IQ unknown (without ID specified) Comorbidity: Depression (67%), Anxiety (38%), Other (39%) | AQ-S Self-identified formal diagnosis | SBQ-R (self-report) Lifetime | SBQ-R ≥ 8: 94 (62.7%) |
Dell'Osso et al. (2019)2 | Italy | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 34 Autistic (ASC) 68 Possibly autistic (traits) | 160 Non-autistic | Autistic 52.9% Male (n = 16) Age (M = 29.8, SD = 12.1) Comorbidity: Anxiety (17.8%), Eating Disorder (5.9%) Possibly Autistic 70.6% Male (n = 20) Age (M = 21.5, SD = 3.1) Comorbidity: Anxiety (33.8%), Bipolar (8.8%) Eating Disorder (11.8%) IQ unknown (without ID specified) | AdAS Spectrum DSM-V | MOODS-SR lifetime version (self-report) Lifetime | Autistic Overall: 12 (35.3%) Possibly Autistic Overall: 29 (42.6%) |
Demirkaya et al. (2016) | Turkey | Retrospective chart review | Clinical 55 Autistic | - | 89% Male Age range 7–20 (M = 13.56, SD = 2.9) IQ range 70–126 (M = 93.53, SD = 14.52; WISC-R, Cattell Scale, Stanford-Binet Scale) Comorbidity: Depression (18.2%), Anxiety (43.6%), OCD (18.2%), Bipolar Disorder (5.5%), Psychotic Features (9.1%), ADHD (65.5%), Self-mutilation (34.5%) | Medical records DSM-IV-TR | Eskin's Suicide Screening Questionnaire (self-report) SI: Past 12 months SAB: Lifetime | SI: 9 (16.3%) SAB: 7 (12.7%) |
Dow et al. (2021) | US | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 98 Autistic | - | 68.4% Male Age (M = 28.2, SD = 10.9) IQ unknown (lack of legal guardianship as proxy for intellectual functioning) Comorbidity: Depression (55.1%), Panic, stress or worrying (63.3%) Employed: 36.7% | Documented proof | DSI-SS (self-report) SI/SP: Past 2 weeks SA: Lifetime | SI: 12 (12.2%) SP: 2 (2.1%) SAB: 19 (19.4%) |
Green et al. (2000) | UK | Cross-sectional | Clinical 20 Autistic | 20 Conduct Disorder | 100% Male Age range 11–19 (Mdn = 13.75) IQ range 71–141 (M = 92.15, SD = 17.70; WISC, WAIS) Comorbidity: MDD (5%), Dysthymia (25%), GAD (35%), OCD (25%), Hyperkinetic (5%) | ADI ADOS ICD-10 | IOWS (self-report) Past 3 months | SI: 2 (10%) |
Greger et al. (2015) | Norway | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 75 Possibly autistic | 237 exposed to maltreatment/ 98 no maltreatment | 46.7% Male Age range 12–20 (M = 16.9) IQ (M = 87.8; met criteria for AS) Comorbidity: Depression (52%), Anxiety (50.6%), ADHD (34.7%) | ASDI DSM-IV | CAPA (informant-report) SI/SP: Past 3 months SA: Lifetime | SI: 10 (13.3%) SP: 5 (6.9%) SAB: 27 (36%) |
Hirvikoski et al. (2020) | Sweden | Case-cohort | Nonclinical 43,570 Autistic (Without ID) | 4 groups (24,535 ASC without ID or ADHD/ 19,035 ASC with ADHD without ID/ 7704 ASC with ID without ADHD/ 2894 ASC with ID and ADHD) 270,840 age + sex matched controls without NDD | IQ unknown (ID comparison group) With ADHD 68.2% Male Age at SA (M = 21.99, SD = 8.91) Age at diagnosis (M = 19.45, SD = 11.70) Comorbidity: Depression (28.53%), Anxiety (27.83%), Bipolar disorder (6.61%), Schizophrenia (1.38%), EUPD (4.15%), SUD (15.49%) Without ADHD 67.9% Male Age at SA (M = 24.13, SD = 10.95) Age at diagnosis (M = 21.67, M = 15.38) Comorbidity: Depression (24.9%), Anxiety (22.69%), Bipolar Disorder (4.17%), Schizophrenia (4.87%), EUPD (2.45%), SUD (8.93%) | NPR ICD-10 | NPR and ICD codes (observational) Lifetime | No ADHD SAB: 2066 (8.4%) ADHD SAB: 2397 (12.6%) |
Hooijer & Sizoo (2020) | The Netherlands | Cross-sectional | Clinical 74 Autistic | - | 60.8% Male Age range 23–42.3 (Mdn = 28.5) IQ unknown (recruited through services for adults with average or higher intelligence) Comorbidity: Depression (33.8%), Anxiety (16.2%), PTSD (4.1%), OCD (5.4%), Personality Disorder (6.8%), Substance use (6.8%) | ADI-R Education and mental health records DSM-IV | BSS (Dutch; self-report) SI: Past week SA: Lifetime | SI: 52 (70.3%) SAB: 21 (28.4%) |
Hu et al. (2019)2 | Taiwan | Cross-sectional | Clinical 219 Autistic | - | 87.7% Male Age range 11–18 (M = 13.7, SD = 2.1) IQ range 80–127 (M = 92.4, SD = 10.9; WISC-IV) Comorbidity: Measured symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, ADHD and ODD | Formal diagnosis SRS (Chinese) DSM-V | KSADS-E—suicidality module (self-report) Past 12 months | 45 (20.5%) |
Jackson et al. (2018) | US | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 56 Autistic | - | 46.4% Male Age range 18–57 (M = 22.98, SD = 6.01) Age range of diagnosis 3–38 IQ unknown (post-secondary students) Comorbidity: Depression (35.7%), GAD (33.9%), OCD (7.1%), Bipolar Disorder (5.4%), ADHD (23.2%) | AQ-10 Self-identified formal diagnosis | SBQ-R (self-report) Lifetime | SI: 11 (20%) SP: 22 (40%) SAB: 8 (14.5%) |
Moseley et al. (2020) | UK | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 102 Autistic (77 Self-harmers/ 25 Non-self-harmers) | - | 28.4% Male Age range 54 (M = 42.26, SD = 13.91) Age at diagnosis (M = 34, SD = 17.2) IQ unknown (educated to at least GCSE/ late diagnosis corroborates cognitive level) Comorbidity: Depression (59.8%), Anxiety Disorders (GAD, social anxiety, OCD, specific phobias, PTSD; 53%), ADHD (13%), SH (75.5%) Employed: full-time (50%), voluntary (11.8%) | Self-identified formal diagnosis | SBQ-R (self-report) Lifetime Item "Have you ever thought about or attempted to kill yourself?" | SI: 30 (29.4%) SP: 36 (35.3%) SAB: 29 (28.4%) |
Moses (2018) | US | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 159 Autistic | 10,330 TD/ 2873 youth with ≥ 1 disability | Information for whole “disabled” sample 49.4% Male Age 12–18 + (M = 15.9, SD = 1.2) IQ unknown (self-report used, high school students) Comorbidity: ≥ 1 type of disability (Emotional/ Mental health problems, Autism Spectrum, Hearing impairment, Vision impairment, Physical/ Mobility, Learning disability, Speech/ language problem, health problem, ADHD) | Self-identified | Unstandardised survey (self-report) Past 12 months “During the past 12 months, have you attempted to kill yourself?” (No; Yes, 1 time; Yes, more than 1 time) | SAB: 29 (18.2%) |
Mukaddes & Fateh (2010) | Turkey | Cross-sectional | Clinical 37 Autistic | - | 86.5% Male Age range 6–20 (M = 10.9, SD = 4.5) IQ range 90–139 (M = 116, SD = 14; WISC-R) Comorbidity: MDD (29%), GAD (5.4%), OCD (32%), Bipolar Disorder (8%), Eating Disorder (2.7%), Substance use (2.7%), ADHD (45%) Employed: voluntary (44%) | Developmental history Psychiatric interviews DSM-IV | Unstandardised clinician led interview (self-report) Unspecified | SAB: 6 (16%) |
Paquette-Smith et al. (2014) | Canada | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 56 Autistic | - | 44% Male Age range 18–61 (M = 34.5, SD = 11.2) IQ unknown (diagnosed AS) Comorbidity: Depression (88%), Anxiety (94%), | AQ Self-identified formal diagnosis | Unstandardised (self-report) Unspecified Asked if they had ever attempted suicide | SAB: 18 (36%) |
Pelton et al. (2020) | UK | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 350 Autistic | 339 Non-autistic | 35.4% Male Age range 18–90 (M = 41.91, SD = 13.59) IQ unknown (AQ requires average or above average intelligence) Comorbidity: ≥ 1 mental health condition (68.6%) Employed: full-time (30.3%) | AQ-S Self-identified formal diagnosis | SBQ-R (self-report) Lifetime | SI: 55 (16.1%) SP: 140 (40.9%) SAB: 131 (38.3%) |
Pilunthanakul et al. (2021) | Singapore | Cross-sectional | Clinical 101 Autistic | - | 87.1% Male Age range 9—18 (M = 14.6, SD = 2.3) IQ unknown (co-occurring ID excluded) Comorbidity: MDD (19%) | Formal diagnosis DMS-V ICD-10 | PHQ-9 (self-report AND informant-report) SI: Past month SA: Lifetime Items "has had serious thoughts about ending life in the past month" and "has made a suicide attempt at least once in whole life" | Self-report SI: 17 (16.8%) Parent-report SI: 9 (8.9%)2 Self-report SAB: 23 (22.8%) Parent-report SAB: 14 (13.9%)2 |
Raja et al. (2011) | Italy | Retrospective chart review | Clinical 19 Autistic | - | 94.7% Male Age range 18—56 (M = 29.84, SD = 10.39) IQ (M = 88.74, SD = 14.59; ID removed and recalculated by VN) Comorbidity: Schizophrenia (63.2%), Alcohol abuse (15.8%), Mania with psychotic signs (5.3%), Depression (21.1%), OCD (10.5%) | Clinical assessments Medical records Psychiatric interviews DSM-IV-TR | Unstandardised (self-report) Past month Asked whether they had: a) wished to die, b) thought about suicide in general, c) thought about methods for possible suicide, d) attempted suicide or self-harmed in any way | SI: 37 (48%) SP: 9 (12%) SAB: 1 (1%)2 |
Ryden et al. (2008)2 | Sweden | Cross-sectional | Clinical 6 Autistic | 35 Non-autistic with BPD | 0% Male Age (M = 31.2, SD = 8.89) IQ (M = 98.7, SD = 18.8; WAIS-III) Comorbidity: BPD (100%), MDD, Panic disorder, PTSD, GAD, Eating disorder, Bipolar Disorder, OCD, Psychotic episodes (% unknown) Employed: 16.7% | ASDI FTF A-TAC DSM-IV | SUAS (self-report) Lifetime | + 5 SA: 3 (50%) |
Sharpley et al. (2016) | Australia | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 39 Autistic | - | 0% Male Age range 6–17 (M = 10.1, SD = 2.7) IQ threshold > 70 (WASI-II) | ADOS-2 DSM-IV-TR DSM-V | CASI-MDD (self-report) Unspecified Item 28 "I talk about dying and killing myself" | SI: 14 (35.8%) |
Shtayermman (2020) | US | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 14 Autistic | - | 100% Male Age range 15–24 (M = 16.6, SD = 1.5) IQ unknown (diagnosed AS) Comorbidity: MDD (28.6%), GAD (15.4%) | Self-identified formal diagnoses DSM-IV-TR | SIQ Adolescent version (self-report) Past month | SI: 3 (21.4%) |
Shtayermman (2008) | US | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 10 Autistic | - | 90% Male Age (M = 19.7, SD = 3.0) IQ unknown (diagnosed AS) Comorbidity: MDD (20%), GAD (30%) Employed: 40% | KADI | SIQ (self-report) Past month | SI: 5 (50%) |
South et al. (2020) | US | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 26 Autistic (previous diagnosis) 48 Possibly autistic (traits) | - | 0% Male Age range 18–49 (M = 25.42, SD = 7.25) IQ range 83–140 (M = 114.8, SD = 11.12; FSIQ-2) Comorbidity: Mild/great severity of depression (76%), Mild/great severity of anxiety (81%) Employed: part-time (66.2%), full-time (6.8%) | ADOS AQ BAPQ SRS-2 | SBQ-R (self-report) Lifetime SI: Past 12 months | Autistic SBQ-R ≥ 8: 13 (50%) SI: 10 (39%) SP: 13 (50%) SAB: 4 (15.4%) Possibly Autistic SBQ-R ≥ 8: 17 (35.4%) SI: 19 (40%) SP: 9 (19%) SAB: 8 (16.7%) |
Storch et al. (2013) | US | Cross-sectional | Clinical 102 Autistic | - | 77% Male Age range 7–16 (M = 10.55, SD = 2.31) IQ threshold ≥ 70 Comorbidity: Depression (13.7%), GAD (74.5%), PTSD (5.9%), OCD (35.3%) | ADI-R ADOS DSM-IV-TR | ADIS-IV-C/P–Major Depressive Modules (self-report AND informant-report) SI/SP: Current SA: Lifetime | Child-report SI: 13 (13%) Parent-report SI: 12 (12%) Child-report SP: 9 (9%) Parent-report SP: 5 (5%) Child-report SAB: 1 (1%) Parent-report SAB: 1 (1%) |
Strang et al. (2021) | US | Cross-sectional | Both & TGNC 54 Autistic (27 Cisgender; 27 Transgender) 13 Possibly utistic (Transgender subthreshold autism) | 26 SAAB and age matched transgender allistic | Cisgender Autistic 59% Male Age range 13—21 (M = 16.42, SD = 1.9) IQ (M = 53.91, SD = 9.33; Matrix reasoning) Transgender Autistic 59% Male; 41% AMAB Age range 13—21 (M = 17.37, SD = 2.08) IQ (M = 112.73, SD = 15.89; WASI-2, WISC-5, WAIS-5) Transgender Possibly Autistic 62% Male; 38% AMAB Age range 13—21 (M = 16.99, SD = 2.14) IQ (M = 117.54, SD = 17.4; WASI-2, WISC-5, WAIS-5) | ADI-R ADOS-2 DSM-IV | ASEBA-YSR (self-report) Past 6 months Item 91 "I think about killing myself" | Autistic Cisgender SI: 7 (25.9%) Transgender SI: 15 (55.5%) Possibly Autistic Transgender SI: 9 (69.2%) |
Strauss et al. (2021) | Australia | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical & TGNC 172 Autistic | 687 Non-autistic Transgender | 38.8% Male Age range 14–25 IQ unknown (self-report used) Comorbidity: Depression (91.3%), Anxiety (93.6%), PTSD (57%), Eating Disorder (52.3%), Psychosis (51.2%), Personality Disorder (55.2%), SUD (41.3%), SH (85.1%) | Self-identified formal diagnosis | Unstandardised (self-report) Lifetime Information on reckless behaviour that purposely puts one’s life at risk, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts | SI: 135 (87.7%) SAB: 87 (57.2%) |
Takara & Kondo (2014a) | Japan | Case–control | Clinical 70 Autistic | 360 Non-autistic | 50% Male Age range 18–55 (M = 30.2, SD = 10.1) IQ unknown (without apparent intellectual problems; high school education or above; JART) Comorbidity: MDD (30%), Bipolar Disorder (22.9%%), Psychotic-like experiences (2.9%) | AQ (Japanese) Confirmation from parents Medical records DSM-IV-TR | Unstandardised (self-report) Unspecified Presence/absence of "suicide-related behaviours" confirmed by patients | SAB: 17 (24%) |
Takara & Kondo (2014b) | Japan | Case–control | Clinical 37 Autistic | 299 Non-autistic | 45.95% Male Age range 18–55 (M = 28.5, SD = 8.8) IQ unknown (without apparent intellectual problems; receiving mainstream education) Comorbidity: Depression (100%), Bipolarity (43.2%), Psychotic features (5.4%), Cluster B Personality Disorder (8.1%), Substance use (8.1%) Employed, homemaker or graduate: 75.7% | AQ (Japanese) Confirmation from parents Medical records DSM-IV | Unstandardised (observational) Unspecified Patients visiting outpatient clinic after suicide attempts | SAB: 9 (24.3%) |
Umeda et al. (2021) | Japan | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 113 Possibly autistic (traits) | 2227 assessed for ASC/ 2297 assessed for ADHD | 7.1% Male Age range 20–75 IQ unknown (AQ requires average or above average intelligence) Comorbidity: MDD (6.2%), Dysthymia (0.9%), Anxiety (7.1%), Bipolar (0.5%), Substance use (15.6%) Employed: 4.9% | AQ-10 (Japanese) DSM-IV | Unstandardised (self-report) Lifetime Asked whether they had ever seriously thought about committing suicide | SI: 17 (15%) |
Wijnhoven et al. (2019) | The Netherlands | Cross-sectional | Clinical 93 Autistic | - | 76.3% Male Age 8–15 (M = 11.15, SD = 1.98) IQ (M = 102.16, SD = 18.14) | ADOS DSM-V | Child Depression Inventory (CDI-2) Dutch version Current Item 9 “I do not think about killing myself/ I think about killing myself but would not do it/ I want to kill myself” | SI: 31 (34.4%) |
Zhou et al. (2018) | China | Cross-sectional | Nonclinical 39 Possibly autistic (traits) 2780 students | - | 41.03% Male Age range 18–30 IQ unknown (college students) Comorbidity: Depression (53.8%), Mild anxiety (5.1%), OCD (71.8%) | AQ (Chinese) | Unstandardised (self-report) Unspecified Asked about suicide ideation, suicide plans, and suicide attempts (e.g. Do you have, or did you ever have a suicide plan?) | SI: 12 (30.8%) SP: 4 (10.3%) |