Suicide crisis and self-harm attendance at A&E in autistic CYP
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Suicide crisis and self-harm attendance at A&E in autistic children and young people
IRAS ID
319697
Contact name
Anna Hunt
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Liverpool John Moores University
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 9 months, 1 days
Research summary
It is estimated that 1 in 100 children and young people (CYP) in the UK are diagnosed with autism. Suicide is the leading cause of death for young people aged between 20 and 34 years in the UK. Autistic CYP are at a higher risk of suicide than non-autistic CYP, and are more than four times as likely as their typical peers to be admitted to the hospital after harming themselves. Autism is heterogeneous condition that requires personalised, evidence-based assessments. It is currently unknown why self-harm rates are higher in autistic CYP, how mental health disorders present in autistic CYP and how services and support should be best placed to accommodate the needs of autistic CYP.
This study will collect data across A&E departments to review how many autistic CYP attend in suicidal crisis. We will look at rates of admission for Self-Harm and suicidal crisis in A&E departments to assess the prevalence of the issue and review the services accessed to determine whether the most effective pathways for CYP are accessed.
This study aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of: (i) the prevalence of attendance of autistic CYP to A&E departments in suicidal crisis and / or Self-Harm (ii) explore the experiences of autistic CYP and (iii) the experiences of A&E staff
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/NE/0228
Date of REC Opinion
25 Jan 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion