Skip to main content
Services Across the Lifespan for Individuals on the Autism Spectrum
“AASET-MHTP

About the Research Study

Autistic Adults and Other Stakeholders Engage Together – Suicide Prevention (AASET-SP) Research Study aims to compare the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of two suicide prevention strategies tailored for autistic individuals: The Safety Planning Intervention tailored for Autistic individuals (SPI-A) and SPI-A plus structured follow-up care (SPI-A+). The research team includes autism and suicide prevention experts, clinicians, autistic individuals, and family members. This work is supported through a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Project Program Award (SP-2020C3-20951). View the study details on ClinicalTrials.gov.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 12-24. The rate of suicide in young people has increased by more than 46%, while rates of other leading causes of death have declined. The enormous emotional, physical, and financial impact of suicide and related behaviors affects youth, families, communities, clinicians, and healthcare systems. Autistic individuals are at particularly high risk for suicide. Compared to the general population, they are: 

Safety Planning Intervention (SPI)

The largest Safety Planning Intervention (SPI) trial demonstrated the effectiveness of SPI plus structured follow-up contacts (SPI+) relative to usual care (without safety plans) in non-autistic patients (Stanley et al., 2018). In this study, suicidal patients who received SPI+ had 45% fewer suicidal behaviors. They were also more than twice more likely to access outpatient mental health treatment within 6 months of a suicide-related emergency department (ED) visit. In routine clinical practice, but, SPI implementation varies. It is often limited to a single encounter (without follow-up) in non-specialty mental health settings (e.g., ED, primary care). Citing this large study in their clinical guidelines, the Joint Commission and the American Association of Pediatrics recommend SPI as a first-line suicide prevention intervention. Yet, neither guideline includes the follow-up component in their description.

Current Study

To date, we don’t know much about which of these two approaches is more effective in general, and with autistic individuals in particular. Without research-based guidance, providers face a difficult decision about which adapted approach to SPI is more effective for autistic patients:

  1. SPI-A delivered in a single encounter; or
  2. SPI-A+, modeled after a multi-component, evidence-based intervention.

The goal of this study is to compare the effectiveness of these two tailored suicide prevention approaches among autistic youth.

 

Study Recruitment Sites: