Examination of the Potential Moderating Role of Psychological Wellbeing in the Relationship Between Depression and Thoughts of Self-Harm in Autistic Adolescents and Adults: A Two-Year Longitudinal Study
Autistic people have a significantly increased risk of death by suicide relative to the general population. In non-autistic samples, psychological wellbeing has been shown to moderate the relationship between depression and suicidal thoughts and behavior. Thoughts of self-harm may provide a useful i...
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Veröffentlicht in: | Journal of autism and developmental disorders 2024-07 |
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Hauptverfasser: | , , , , , , |
Format: | Artikel |
Sprache: | eng |
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Zusammenfassung: | Autistic people have a significantly increased risk of death by suicide relative to the general population. In non-autistic samples, psychological wellbeing has been shown to moderate the relationship between depression and suicidal thoughts and behavior. Thoughts of self-harm may provide a useful indicator of suicidal risk. In this longitudinal study we examined (a) the potential role for psychological wellbeing to moderate the relationship between depressive symptoms and thoughts of self-harm and (b) the contribution of autistic traits to thoughts of self-harm.
Participants were 209 autistic adolescents and adults aged 15 to 80 years (M
= 34.20, SD = 15.38 years).
At both baseline and 2-year follow-up, 35% of participants reported recent thoughts of self-harm. Wellbeing was associated with autistic traits (r = - .350 to - 0.404) and depression (r = - .480 to - 0.759). Thoughts of self-harm were positively associated with autistic traits and depression (r = .242 to 0.659), and negatively associated with wellbeing (r = - .287 to - 0.609). Controlling for baseline thoughts of self-harm, depression (β = 0.254, p = .001) and autistic traits (β = 0.162, p = .007) significantly predicted thoughts of self-harm at 2-year follow-up.
Despite a lack of support for the hypothesis that wellbeing would moderate the relationship between depression and thoughts of self-harm, correlational data demonstrated significant associations between wellbeing and both depression and thoughts of self-harm. Future research considering psychological wellbeing as a potential protective factor for self-harm in autistic people is warranted. |
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ISSN: | 0162-3257 1573-3432 1573-3432 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s10803-024-06489-x |