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Abstract

It is generally understood that autism is characterised by deficits in social communication and interaction (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). However, the effects these deficits have on an autistic person's mental health are less understood. This is despite knowledge that suicide in autistic adults is between seven and 15 times more likely than in the general population (Cassidy, 2015).
This dissertation conducted a literature review to analyse and synthesise seven research articles that have explored autism and suicide. The literature review included research that used mixed methods. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify common themes across the seven articles. This was with the aim to uncover the most common factors that lead to autistic people being at greater risk of suicide. Another aim was to use the findings of the thematic analysis to identify how social workers can be more effective when working with autistic adults to reduce this. This dissertation calls for official research into autism and suicide within a social work context, and for social workers in England to take greater responsibility for providing appropriate support for this population. This recommendation must be acted upon immediately, as the rates of suicide in autistic people is only increasing.

Course: Social Work - MSc - C2081F

Date Deposited: 2022-11-14

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis14075.html