Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41685333›Full record

ArticleNature. Mental health2026

Autistic traits and suicidality in midlife and old age: investigating mediating effects of mental health and social connectedness.

Eleanor Nuzum, Radvile Medeisyte, Aphrodite Eshetu, Sarah Hoare, Anne Corbett, Clive Ballard, Adam Hampshire, Elizabeth O'Nions, Amber John, Gavin R Stewart and 1 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature. Mental health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Eleanor NuzumUCL Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-4265-1584
Radvile MedeisyteUCL Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK.
Aphrodite EshetuUCL Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK.ORCID 0009-0007-9146-2348
Sarah HoareUCL Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-3529-2280
Anne CorbettCollege of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Clive BallardCollege of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Adam HampshireNeuroimaging Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Elizabeth O'NionsUCL Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-4427-0910
Amber JohnUCL Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK.
Gavin R StewartSocial Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-9262-888X
Joshua StottUCL Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-1361-053X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Suicidality is increased among middle-aged and older autistic adults, but little is known about the underlying factors linking autism with suicidality in midlife and older age. Here we report a cross-sectional observational study of 9,979 adults (76% female) aged 50+ years who completed questionnaires measuring autistic traits, current mental health, social connections and suicidality (suicidal ideation and suicidal self-harm). We use path analysis to explore the relationship between autistic traits and suicidality and the mediating effects of current mental health, social connectedness and male/female sex. Our results find that depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), loneliness and social isolation all significantly mediate the relationship between autistic traits and suicidal ideation, with small effect sizes. For suicidal self-harm, male sex, depression, PTSD and social isolation were found to be mediators. We conclude that mental health difficulties and social isolation mediate higher rates of suicidality in 50+-year-olds with high autistic traits. Targeted and individually tailored interventions for people on the autism spectrum across the lifespan are important.

Indexed as

PsychologyRisk factors

Identifiers

PMID41685333
PMCPMC12890584

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.