[Research survey] Seeking Autistic Participants for a Research Study (18+)

[Aoife_2021]

Hi everyone! I am a Doctoral Clinical Psychology researcher based at Newcastle University. My research involves learning about why autistic people are at increased risk of suicide. I want to see whether risk factors that we know are important in non-autistic people are relevant for autistic people. Additionally, the study will look to extend this by exploring risk factors thought to be more significant for autistic people.

We are looking for autistic adults (18 years or older) to participate in a confidential study *. You should have a diagnosis of autism (self-diagnosed is ok too) and be able to complete the survey independently. We would like you to answer a series of questions about different topics, including your personality, mental health wellbeing and suicidal thoughts and behaviours.

All information you provide will be kept confidential and your survey answers will be anonymous. Participation will take approximately 30- 45 minutes to complete. As a thank you for your participation you will be invited to take part in a prize draw for an opportunity for the chance to win a £20 Amazon. We would also be grateful if you could share the survey details with your friends, family and networks.

To take part visit please click on the hyperlink below for more information and to begin the survey.
http://nclpsych.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bgBgLuD0pWzOlFj

Thank you,
Aoife


*This is a research study and we do not provide a treatment service or advice for those in crisis. If you are in crisis or feeling suicidal we urge you to seek help from your GP, a key worker, or family and friends. You can also contact helpline services such as Samaritans (116 123)

 

[Telepath John]

Hello Aoife,

I have often wondered why those in the mental health industry want to research mental illness instead of those with good mental health. If you study what those with good outlooks on life do to create well being for themself you might learn some things.

We all seem to have the same issues with unrealized expectations. I can appreciate the intent is to help those who are having problems. Yet the greater reality is that what we focus our attention on is what we Attract. I suspect research on those who know how to deal with their negative thoughts would be useful.

John

 

[Tom]

If I can figure out a way to convert 20 pounds of Amazon to donuts, I'm in.

 

[Thinx]

Hi, I have taken a look at your link, I ll look some more tomorrow. Just noticed that in the paragraph titled, What are the Benefits of Taking part? You say that 'suicide is common in people with autism'. To me that sounds unlikely. Are you saying perhaps, it's more common than in some other groups? What are the figures you have on this?

 

[Thinx]

I found a useful, short article about research on this, that gives figures that are definitely concerning, and points to some likely highly relevant factors, such as expectations that autistic people should conform to neurotypical norms, the stress of masking and how the intersection of autism with mental health issues such as depression can mean clinicians recognise one or the other but not both conditions.

The figures here show that whilst suicide isn't shown to be 'common' in the groups of autistic people quoted, numbers are significantly high. I guess replicating this type of research gives more weight to the findings, which is part of what will hopefully bring about some understanding of the wider issues.

 

[Bolletje]

I have completed the survey. I hope you’ll get some useful data, @Aoife_2021 . Good luck with your research!

 

[Suzette]

Hello,
I don't mean to sound unfriendly or unkind but the line I quote below struck me as thoughtless.

I want to see whether risk factors that we know are important in non-autistic people are relevant for autistic people

Autistic people are just people. We are human first and foremost and EVERY risk factor is just as important to autistic folk as non-autsitic folk. You really don't need a study to tell you that do you?

 

[SusanLR]

Don't have time tonight.
Will check in tomorrow.

 

[Greatshield17]

Hi everyone! I am a Doctoral Clinical Psychology researcher based at Newcastle University. My research involves learning about why autistic people are at increased risk of suicide. I want to see whether risk factors that we know are important in non-autistic people are relevant for autistic people. Additionally, the study will look to extend this by exploring risk factors thought to be more significant for autistic people.

We are looking for autistic adults (18 years or older) to participate in a confidential study *. You should have a diagnosis of autism (self-diagnosed is ok too) and be able to complete the survey independently. We would like you to answer a series of questions about different topics, including your personality, mental health wellbeing and suicidal thoughts and behaviours.

All information you provide will be kept confidential and your survey answers will be anonymous. Participation will take approximately 30- 45 minutes to complete. As a thank you for your participation you will be invited to take part in a prize draw for an opportunity for the chance to win a £20 Amazon. We would also be grateful if you could share the survey details with your friends, family and networks.

To take part visit please click on the hyperlink below for more information and to begin the survey.
http://nclpsych.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bgBgLuD0pWzOlFj

Thank you,
Aoife


*This is a research study and we do not provide a treatment service or advice for those in crisis. If you are in crisis or feeling suicidal we urge you to seek help from your GP, a key worker, or family and friends. You can also contact helpline services such as Samaritans (116 123)

Do you have to be in the UK to participate in this study?

 

[Bolletje]

Do you have to be in the UK to participate in this study?

Nope

 

[Raggamuffin]

Complete, but 12-14 days as the max length of time on the questionnaire is rather frustrating. Months, years?

Ed

 

[Greatshield17]

By the way @Aoife_2021 please feel free to stop by often and get to know us better; we need more Autism Awareness if we’re ever going to achieve Autism Acceptance.

 

[PinkPhilodendron]

Hello,
I don't mean to sound unfriendly or unkind but the line I quote below struck me as thoughtless.

I feel like your comment is a little bit unfair. Autism affects sensory processing which has huge importance for successful socializing. And successful socializing has surely a strong correlation to depression which again has a strong correlation to suicidal tendencies so of course it is possible that NTs risk-factors are different to those of autistic people.
It seems logical to me but I might be wrong as I did not look up the data.

 

[Suzette]

I feel like your comment is a little bit unfair. Autism affects sensory processing which has huge importance for successful socializing. And successful socializing has surely a strong correlation to depression which again has a strong correlation to suicidal tendencies so of course it is possible that NTs risk-factors are different to those of autistic people.
It seems logical to me but I might be wrong as I did not look up the data.

I appologize but the line I quoted, perhaps unintentionally, singled out autistic people as possibly NOT having the same risk factors as non-autistic people. This is unintentionally dehumanizing autistic people.

Each individual human will have their own risk factors of course but the actual risk factors such as depression, regardless of the cause, are the same for all human beings.

 

[Thinx]

I appologize but the line I quoted, perhaps unintentionally, singled out autistic people as possibly NOT having the same risk factors as non-autistic people. This is unintentionally dehumanizing autistic people.

Each individual human will have their own risk factors of course but the actual risk factors such as depression, regardless of the cause, are the same for all human beings.

I see what you mean, and it may be important for this researcher to consider, or if she has so considered, to explain, why it seems necessary to question if depression etc are relevant risk factors leading to suicide in autistic people, apart from strong dehumanizing assumptions that have been made about autistic people in the past.

Not long ago on here we were discussing how the founder of ABA 'therapy' asserted that people with autism were not yet people, and had to be constructed by the therapist... The effects of these and other dehumanizing assumptions seem to be pervasive though their content is utterly unproven. For example, research was recently done to 'show' that attachment theory applies to autistic people, whereas nothing except assumptions would suggest that it didn't. And hey, yes it does apply, unsurprisingly. We can and do make attachments.

Researchers apparently are working in a situation where the dominant assumptions that have been made about people with autism by previous generations now have to be 'disproved', despite that they were never based on facts, just on commonly held opinions.

 

[PinkPhilodendron]

Not long ago on here we were discussing how the founder of ABA 'therapy' asserted that people with autism were not yet people, and had to be constructed by the therapist...

Wow. As I have not yet dealt with the history of autism I would have never imagined people who are doctors to dehumanize somebody (Well, outside of the 3rd reich perhaps). So I understand now why this is a sensitive issue.
I would not think that there are any people who by their biology are unable to have depression but perhaps I am wrong....

 

[Ken]

I took the survey and am very disappointed. At the end I added the comment, "I feel the survey was to digital for a deeply analog condition."

I do desire and often think about suicide. There were no questions in the survey that would indicate why that is the case. I was eager for those questions. I simply do not feel any value from this survey will help when all the questions are over simplified multiple choice, never allowing any real information regarding what I thought the survey was for.

I guess that is why this is still such an unknown subject.