Abstract
Suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) and emergency department (ED) utilization are prevalent in autistic youth. The current study surveyed clinicians in a pediatric psychiatric ED to examine differences in attitudes on suicide-related care for autistic and non-autistic patient populations. While clinicians rated addressing STB in ASD as important and adaptations to care as necessary, less than half identified ASD as a suicide risk factor and confidence ratings were significantly lower for autistic patients. Previous ASD training predicted confidence and accounted for approximately 25% of the variance in confidence scores. Findings highlight the urgency to develop and disseminate ED clinician training, and address the lack of validated assessment tools, adapted suicide prevention practices, and evidence-based treatments for STB in autistic youth.
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Notes
We used identity-first rather than person-first language to refer to autistic individuals in this manuscript, as this is the preferred terminology of many autistic individuals and their families (Kenny et al., 2016; Organization for Autism Research, 2020). We understand that there are many ways to refer to autism and acknowledge that these preferences may not be universal.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the clinicians that participated in this study.
Funding
This study was funded by the Organization for Autism Research (OAR) and the National Institute of Mental Health (P50MH113662). The authors thank OAR and the NIMH for their support but acknowledge that the findings and conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of OAR or the NIMH.
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PC participated in the design of the study, performed statistical analyses, and helped to draft the manuscript. AL, KS, DS, and AB participated in the interpretation of the data and helped to draft the manuscript. SH participated in the design of the study, assisted in the interpretation of the data, and helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Cervantes, P.E., Li, A., Sullivan, K.A. et al. Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk in Autistic Youth: Findings from a Clinician Survey in a Pediatric Psychiatric Emergency Setting. J Autism Dev Disord 53, 1755–1763 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05448-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05448-8