Suicidal Ideation and Self-inflicted Injury in Medicare Enrolled Autistic Adults With and Without Co-occurring Intellectual Disability

Brittany N. Hand, Teal W. Benevides, Henry J. Carretta

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

27 Scopus citations

Abstract

Suicidality is significantly more common in autistic adults than the general population, yet the factors that increase risk for suicidality among autistic adults remain largely unknown. We identified characteristics associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts/self-inflicted injury in a U.S. national sample of Medicare-enrolled autistic adults. We conducted a case–control study of autistic adults aged 18–59 years (n = 21,792). Younger age, white race, depression disorders, and psychiatric healthcare utilization were associated with increased odds of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Co-occurring intellectual disability was associated with significantly greater odds of a suicide attempt, but lower odds of suicidal ideation. Findings underscore the need for improved methods to identify ideation prior to attempt among adults with autism and intellectual disability.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3489-3495
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Volume50
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1 2020

Keywords

  • Adults
  • Aging/ASD in adults
  • Intellectual disability
  • Suicidal ideation
  • Suicidality
  • Suicide
  • Suicide attempts

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Developmental and Educational Psychology

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