TY - JOUR
T1 - Co-occurrence of autistic and psychotic traits
T2 - Implications for depression, self-harm and suicidality
AU - Sampson, Katie N.
AU - Upthegrove, Rachel
AU - Abu-Akel, Ahmad
AU - Haque, Sayeed
AU - Wood, Stephen J.
AU - Reniers, Renate
N1 - Publisher Copyright: Copyright © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press.
PY - 2021/6
Y1 - 2021/6
N2 - BACKGROUND: There is increasing interest in the clinical and aetiological overlap between autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia spectrum disorders, reported to co-occur at both diagnostic and trait levels. Individually, sub-clinical autistic and psychotic traits are associated with poor clinical outcomes, including increased depressive symptomatology, self-harming behaviour and suicidality. However, the implications when both traits co-occur remain poorly understood. The study aimed to (1) examine the relationship between autistic and psychotic traits and (2) determine if their co-occurrence increases depressive symptomatology, self-harm and suicidality.METHODS: Cross-sectional data from a self-selecting (online and poster advertising) sample of the adult UK population ( n = 653) were collected using an online survey. Validated self-report measures were used to assess sub-clinical autistic and psychotic traits, depressive symptomatology, self-harming behaviour and suicidality. Correlation and regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: A positive correlation between sub-clinical autistic and positive psychotic traits was confirmed ( r s = 0.509, p < 0.001). Overall, autistic traits and psychotic traits were, independently, significant predictors of depression, self-harm and suicidality. Intriguingly, however, depression was associated with a negative interaction between the autistic domain attention to detail and psychotic traits. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports previous findings that sub-clinical autistic and psychotic traits are largely independently associated with depression, self-harm and suicidality, and is novel in finding that their combined presence has no additional effect on depression, self-harm or suicidality. These findings highlight the importance of considering both autistic and psychotic traits and their symptom domains in research and when developing population-based depression prevention and intervention strategies.
AB - BACKGROUND: There is increasing interest in the clinical and aetiological overlap between autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia spectrum disorders, reported to co-occur at both diagnostic and trait levels. Individually, sub-clinical autistic and psychotic traits are associated with poor clinical outcomes, including increased depressive symptomatology, self-harming behaviour and suicidality. However, the implications when both traits co-occur remain poorly understood. The study aimed to (1) examine the relationship between autistic and psychotic traits and (2) determine if their co-occurrence increases depressive symptomatology, self-harm and suicidality.METHODS: Cross-sectional data from a self-selecting (online and poster advertising) sample of the adult UK population ( n = 653) were collected using an online survey. Validated self-report measures were used to assess sub-clinical autistic and psychotic traits, depressive symptomatology, self-harming behaviour and suicidality. Correlation and regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: A positive correlation between sub-clinical autistic and positive psychotic traits was confirmed ( r s = 0.509, p < 0.001). Overall, autistic traits and psychotic traits were, independently, significant predictors of depression, self-harm and suicidality. Intriguingly, however, depression was associated with a negative interaction between the autistic domain attention to detail and psychotic traits. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports previous findings that sub-clinical autistic and psychotic traits are largely independently associated with depression, self-harm and suicidality, and is novel in finding that their combined presence has no additional effect on depression, self-harm or suicidality. These findings highlight the importance of considering both autistic and psychotic traits and their symptom domains in research and when developing population-based depression prevention and intervention strategies.
KW - Adult
KW - Autistic Disorder/epidemiology
KW - Cross-Sectional Studies
KW - Depression/epidemiology
KW - Humans
KW - Self-Injurious Behavior/epidemiology
KW - Suicide
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85081296443&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291720000124
DO - https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291720000124
M3 - Article
C2 - 32081111
SN - 0033-2917
VL - 51
SP - 1364
EP - 1372
JO - Psychological Medicine
JF - Psychological Medicine
IS - 8
ER -