Examining the Role of Social Connection in Suicide Risk for Older Autistic Adults: A Mixed Methods Study

项目总结 自杀是导致自闭症成年人过早死亡的主要原因之一。患有自闭症的成年人更有可能 与非自闭症成年人相比，考虑自杀、企图自杀和自杀而死。了解自杀的想法和行为 自闭症(STB)是自闭症患者的首要研究重点，资助者，机构间自闭症协调 委员会(IACC)和自闭症科学期刊。尽管风险增加，但人们对以下因素知之甚少 预测自闭症患者的STB。在一般人群中，老年人的自杀率相对最高 所有其他年龄段。社交脱节是老年人感染STB的一个公认的风险因素。到目前为止，没有 研究已经将这种联系扩展到了患有自闭症的老年人。 老年自闭症成年人是一个不断增长的人口，他们的需求已被强调为一项紧迫的研究 优先考虑。在年长的非自闭症成年人中观察到的更大的社会孤立很可能是反映和潜在的 自闭症加重：自闭症成年人一生中都会感到社交孤立和孤独。vt.给出 自闭症患者STB和自杀死亡率的增加以及老年人自杀率的增加 年龄在一般人群中，自闭症老年人可能双重容易受到社会和社会之间的联系的影响 隔离和STB。 为了响应RFA-MH-22-136，我们将使用一种新的混合方法来表征 STB与社会脱节之间的关系，涉及多个维度(结构、功能、 定性)，在自闭症老年人(55岁及以上)中。我们将招募40名自闭症老年患者和25名非自闭症患者 老年人，对女性进行过度抽样，给出自闭症女性STB升高的报告及其差异 老年非自闭症男性和女性STB与社会脱节的关系这款R21有三个 目标：(1)考察社会脱节的多个维度(结构、功能、质量)如何预测 老年自闭症和非自闭症成年人的性传播障碍；(2)确定出生时的性别对关系的影响 自闭症和非自闭症老年人的社会脱节与性传播障碍之间的关系；以及(3)探讨 不同类型的活动以及社会和社区联系的重要性及其与机顶盒使用的关系 深入的定性数据。 此R21直接与RFA-MH-22-126的目标以及NIMH老年病和 老龄化过程研究分部和NIMH战略目标2和3。此外，R21结合了两个优先事项 自闭症研究领域：了解自闭症中的STB和衰老。来自该项目的数据将描述如何 多个维度的社会脱节是老年人性传播疾病的潜在风险因素，并将 提供可操作的领域，我们可以开始为此制定有效和可扩展的干预措施 弱势群体。

PROJECT SUMMARY Suicide is one of the leading causes of premature death for autistic adults. Autistic adults are more likely to consider, attempt, and die by suicide than non-autistic adults. Understanding suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) in autism is a top research priority for autistic individuals, funders, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), and autism scientific journals. Despite the increased risk, little is known about factors that predict STB in autistic people. In the general population, older adults have the highest rates of suicide relative to all other age groups. Social disconnection is a well-established risk factor for STB in older adults. To date, no study has extended this association to older autistic adults. Older autistic adults are a growing population and their needs have been highlighted as an urgent research priority. The greater social isolation observed in older non-autistic adults is likely mirrored and potentially exacerbated in autism: autistic adults, across the lifespan, report feeling socially isolated and lonely. Given increased rates of STB and death by suicide in autism and the increased rates of suicide observed with older age in the general population, older autistic adults may be doubly vulnerable to the associations between social isolation and STB. In response to RFA-MH-22-136, we will employ a novel mixed-methods approach to characterize the relationship between STB and social disconnection, across multiple dimensions (structural, functional, qualitative), in older autistic adults (aged 55 and older). We will recruit 40 older autistic adults and 25 non-autistic older adults, oversampling for females given reports of heightened STB in autistic females and the differential relationship between STB and social disconnection in older non-autistic males and females. This R21 has three aims: (1) Examine how multiple dimensions (structural, functional, qualitative) of social disconnection predict STB in older autistic and non-autistic adults; (2) Determine how assigned sex at birth impacts the relationship between social disconnection and STB in older autistic and non-autistic adults; and (3) Explore the relative importance of different types of activities and social and community connections and their relation to STB using in-depth qualitative data. This R21 directly aligns with the goals of RFA-MH-22-126 and the focus areas of the NIMH Geriatrics and Aging Processes Research Branch and NIMH Strategic Goals 2 and 3. Further, this R21 combines two priority areas for autism research: understanding STB and aging in autism. Data from this project will characterize how social disconnections across multiple dimensions serve as potential risk factors for STB in older adults and will provide actionable areas for which we can begin to develop effective and scalable interventions for this vulnerable population.