High Functioning Autistic Disorders in MSUs - Pathways & Co-morbidity
Research type
Research Study
Full title
High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders in Medium Secure Units: A case-control study of male mentally disordered offenders with and without Asperger’s Syndrome (or High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders ) regarding their Pathways in and out of Medium Secure Units and Co-Morbid Psychiatric Conditions
IRAS ID
150309
Contact name
Angela Hassiotis
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
UCL
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 1 days
Research summary
Autism is a disorder that some people grow up with. People with autism can have difficulties with communicating and interacting with other people. High Functioning Autistic Spectrum Disorders (HFA) or Asperger's Syndrome (as it is also known) refers to a sub-group of people with autism of average or above average intelligence.
This study will take place in three Medium Secure Units (MSUs) (psychiatric hospitals with a significant level of security) within England. I will recruit patients with and without HFA who are residing within these MSUs. I will match patients with HFA with twice as many patients without HFA from the same locality in England (prior to their admission).
In this study I will ask professionals working within 3 selected MSUs in England to approach patients (with and without HFA) to see if they are interested in participating in this study.
If they show an interest, I will then meet with them to complete a few questionnaires. This can take 40-55 minutes with breaks. The purpose of these questionnaires is to see what psychiatric disorders these patients may be suffering with, in addition to HFA (if applicable).
I will also ask patients for their consent to study their psychiatric records, and speak to their psychiatrists. This will allow me to see how these patients ended up in MSUs. I will ask their psychiatrists how long they expect the patient to remain within the MSU and what sort of place they are planning to discharge them to in the future.
I will then compare the above results for patients with and without HFA. I will anonymise all the information I gather, and use numbers to identify these patients in order to protect their confidentiality.
REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/0325
Date of REC Opinion
13 Jun 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion