Rebbettes Jessica, Bacon Alison M
School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2025 Jul 18. doi: 10.1007/s10803-025-06955-0.
Autistic individuals, particularly females, demonstrate a higher prevalence of self-harm compared to those who are not autistic. Core cognitive, affective, and sensory differences inherent to autism are linked to the increased vulnerability within autistic populations. However, these factors are not sufficiently explored in relation to individuals' social and environmental contexts, resulting in a gap in understanding the self-harm experiences of autistic females.
Eleven autistic women participated in semi-structured interviews to explore their experiences of self-harm. Data was transcribed and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.
Three key themes were identified: Regulation of Emotional States, highlighting self-harm as a coping mechanism for managing high and low energy affective states; Navigating a Neurotypical World, exploring how societal and interpersonal challenges influence these behaviours; and Changes in Self-Harm Over the Lifespan, examining the evolution of self-harm across different life stages.
Findings reveal that self-harm in autistic women stems from both autism-related differences and unique experiences, vulnerabilities, and societal expectations. Influences of delayed diagnosis, burnout, and victimisation, required self-harm for self-punishment and regulation. Mislabelling and misdiagnosis throughout participants' lives exacerbate risks and demonstrates an ongoing misunderstanding of distress of autistic females. Future research should focus on adapting interventions to better address the challenges unique to this population, and improving diagnosis and identification by considering the functions of these behaviours.
与非自闭症患者相比，自闭症患者，尤其是女性，自我伤害的发生率更高。自闭症所固有的核心认知、情感和感官差异与自闭症群体中更高的易感性有关。然而，这些因素在个体的社会和环境背景方面并未得到充分探讨，导致在理解自闭症女性的自我伤害经历方面存在差距。
11名自闭症女性参与了半结构化访谈，以探讨她们的自我伤害经历。使用反思性主题分析法对数据进行转录和分析。
确定了三个关键主题：情绪状态调节，强调自我伤害是管理高能量和低能量情感状态的一种应对机制；在典型神经世界中导航，探讨社会和人际挑战如何影响这些行为；自我伤害在生命周期中的变化，研究自我伤害在不同生命阶段的演变。
研究结果表明，自闭症女性的自我伤害源于与自闭症相关的差异以及独特的经历、脆弱性和社会期望。延迟诊断、倦怠和受害的影响，需要通过自我伤害来进行自我惩罚和调节。在参与者的一生中，错误标签和误诊加剧了风险，并表明对自闭症女性的痛苦存在持续的误解。未来的研究应侧重于调整干预措施，以更好地应对该群体特有的挑战，并通过考虑这些行为的功能来改善诊断和识别。
