Brief Report: Exploratory Evaluation of Clinical Features Associated with Suicidal Ideation in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

RISK assessment; SUICIDAL ideation; RESEARCH funding; ANXIETY; CLASSIFICATION of mental disorders; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; ASPERGER'S syndrome in adolescence; RESEARCH; CHILD Behavior Checklist; PSYCHOLOGICAL tests; DATA analysis software; CONFIDENCE intervals; AUTISM in adolescence; MENTAL depression; COGNITION; NONPARAMETRIC statistics; PSYCHOSOCIAL factors; ADOLESCENCE

There has been a heightened awareness of an increased risk of suicidality among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) due to high rates of suicidal ideation (SI) in this population (11–66%). The current study investigated the rate of parent-endorsed SI and associated clinical features in 48 youths with ASD (Age; M: 12.97 years, SD: 2.33). SI was endorsed in 18.75% of participants. Youth with SI exhibited significantly higher levels of affective problems, externalizing problems, feelings of humiliation and rejection, and symptoms related to perfectionism. Results indicate that co-occurring mental health problems are associated with suicidal ideation and provide relevant targets for psychotherapeutic intervention. This preliminary study in a modest sample suggests the value of further research in larger samples to replicate and generalize these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]