The prevalence of self-injurious behaviour in autism: a meta-analytic study
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Authors
Colleges, School and Institutes
External organisations
- Children’s Neurodevelopmental Service
- Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust
Abstract
Self-injurious behaviour is purportedly common in autism, but prevalence rates have not yet been synthesised meta-analytically. In the present study, data from 14,379 participants in thirty-seven papers were analysed to generate a pooled prevalence estimate of self-injury in autism of 42% (confidence intervals 0.38–0.47). Hand-hitting topography was the most common form of self-injury (23%), self-cutting topography the least common (3%). Sub-group analyses revealed no association between study quality, participant intellectual disability or age and overall prevalence rate of self-injury. However, females obtained higher prevalence rates than males (p =.013) and hair pulling and self-scratching were associated with intellectual disability (p =.008 and p =.002, respectively). The results confirm very high rates of self-injury in autism and highlight within group risk-markers.
Details
Original language | English |
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Journal | Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders |
Early online date | 15 Apr 2020 |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 15 Apr 2020 |
Keywords
- Autism, Intellectual disability, Prevalence, Self-harm, Self-injurious behaviour