| Research has suggested that autistic people engage in suicidal behavior up to twelve times the
rate of the general population. Furthermore, research has also suggested that loneliness, social
support, and autism acceptance from others are possible risk and protective factors for mental
health in the autistic population. The present study sought to address this gap by examining the
relationship among the three predictors in addition to their relationships with suicidal behavior.
The study (N=136) found that acceptance from family and society as well as social support
significantly negatively related to suicidal behavior whereas loneliness significantly related.
When controlling for covariates, loneliness, and social support, acceptance from family and
friends had a larger, but non-significant, effect on suicidal behavior than acceptance from
society. These results imply the importance of familial attitudes on autistic identity. The findings
from this study provide evidence that future research should be conducted into autistic
acceptance.
Keywords: suicidal behavior, autism spectrum disorder, loneliness, social support, peer
acceptance, parental acceptance, interpersonal theory of suicide |