SynthesisJournal of intellectual disability research : JIDR2026
Suicide and Self-Harm in Intellectual Disability: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Suicide and Self-Harm in Intellectual Disability: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR · 2026Pooled it
- Health inequalities among people with disabilities: an umbrella review and evidence synthesis.EClinicalMedicine · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIndividuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) are disproportionately exposed to several risk factors for suicidality. However, no meta-analysis has yet quantified the relative risk of suicide and self-harm, including suicide attempts, within this population. The aim of this project was to bring together and synthesise the research on suicidality among individuals with ID.
methodsA systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out. Medline, Embase, Web of Science and PsycInfo were searched from inception through 4 August 2025. Observational studies with a quantitative design, evaluating the relative risk of suicide or self-harm, including suicide attempts, in individuals with and without ID, were included. Risk of bias was assessed using a shortened version of the Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies-of Exposure (ROBINS-E) checklist. A random effects model was used to synthesise the results.
resultsEleven primary studies were included in the review (n = 241 438). The level of ID severity was only presented in two articles. Compared to the general population, the pooled relative risk for death by suicide was 0.54 (95% CI 0.33 to 0.89, k = 6, I
conclusionThe findings suggest that individuals with ID have an elevated risk of self-harm but a lower risk of dying by suicide compared to the general population. However, these results should be interpreted with caution due to the limited number of primary studies and substantial between-study heterogeneity. Further, separate analyses of mild versus moderate-to-profound ID are warranted.
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Registered trials
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