Table 1.
Suicidality risk factors of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder
| Characteristics | Suicidal group (N=16) |
Non-suicidal group (N=39) |
P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean age, SD (years) | 13.4±2.0 | 13.7±3.2 | 0.67 |
| Prepubertal:pubertal | 4:12 | 14:25 | 0.43 |
| Male: female | 15:1 | 34:5 | 0.46 |
| ASD subtypes | |||
| AD | 7 | 17 | 0.89 |
| AS | 8 | 18 | |
| PDD-NOS | 1 | 4 | |
| Positive history of self mutilation | 3 | 16 | 0.52 |
| Positive family history of completed suicide | 3 | 1 | 0.002* |
| Positive family history of lethal and nonlethal suicidal behaviors | 6 | 4 | 0.026* |
| Positive family history of alcohol/substance use disorder | 1 | 7 | 0.25 |
| Parental loss or divorce | 3 | 16 | 0.52 |
Note:
*
P<0.05, statistically significant difference.
Abbreviations: ASD, autism spectrum disorder; AD, autistic disorder; AS, Asperger’s syndrome; PDD-NOS, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified; SD, standard deviation.