Alcohol use among populations with autism spectrum disorder: narrative systematic review.

Alcohol use among populations with autism spectrum disorder: narrative systematic review.

Publication date: Jan 13, 2025

Alcohol use in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is under-researched. Previous reviews have explored substance use as a whole, but this neglects individual characteristics unique to different substances. Alcohol use in non-clinical samples is associated with diverse responses. To advance practice and policy, an improved understanding of alcohol use among people with ASD is crucial to meet individual needs. This was a narrative systematic review of the current literature on the association between alcohol use and ASD, focusing on aetiology (biological, psychological, social and environmental risk factors) and implications (consequences and protective factors) of alcohol use in autistic populations who utilise clinical services. We sought to identify priority research questions and offer policy and practice recommendations. PROSPERO Registration: CRD42023430291. The search was conducted across five databases: CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsychINFO and Global Health. Included studies explored alcohol use and ASD within clinical samples. A total of 22 studies was included in the final review. The pooled prevalence of alcohol use disorder in ASD was 1. 6% and 16. 1% in large population registers and clinical settings, respectively. Four components were identified as possible aetiological risk factors: age, co-occurring conditions, gender and genetics. We identified ten implications for co-occurring alcohol use disorder in ASD, summarised as a concept map. Emerging trends in the literature suggest direction and principles for research and practice. Future studies should use a standardised methodological approach, including psychometrically validated instruments and representative samples, to inform policy and improve the experience for autistic populations with co-occurring alcohol use.

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Concepts Keywords
Alcohol alcohol disorders
Autism Autistic spectrum disorders
Crd42023430291 comorbidity
Genetics mental health services
Medline neurodevelopmental disorders

Semantics

Type Source Name
drug DRUGBANK Ethanol
disease MESH autism spectrum disorder
disease MESH substance use
disease MESH alcohol use disorder
drug DRUGBANK Pentaerythritol tetranitrate
disease MESH comorbidity
disease MESH neurodevelopmental disorders
pathway REACTOME Reproduction
disease MESH syndrome
disease MESH Autism
drug DRUGBANK Fenamole
disease MESH adverse childhood experiences
drug DRUGBANK Aspartame
disease MESH bullying
disease MESH depression
disease MESH social anxiety
drug DRUGBANK N-acetylsulfanilyl chloride
disease MESH Developmental Disabilities
pathway KEGG Alcoholism
disease MESH Alcohol related disorders
drug DRUGBANK Methionine
drug DRUGBANK Serine
disease MESH ADHD
disease MESH anxiety disorders
disease MESH dual diagnosis
disease MESH living alone
drug DRUGBANK Ilex paraguariensis leaf
disease MESH Marital status
drug DRUGBANK Medical Cannabis
disease MESH bipolar disorder
disease MESH major depressive disorder
disease MESH antisocial personality disorder
disease MESH conduct disorder
disease MESH Asperger syndrome
disease MESH suicide
disease MESH mania
disease MESH social phobia
disease MESH obsessive compulsive disorder
disease MESH intellectual disability
disease MESH violence
disease MESH mental disorders
disease MESH emotional distress
disease MESH loneliness
disease MESH lifestyle
drug DRUGBANK Trestolone
pathway REACTOME Sensory Perception
drug DRUGBANK Gold
drug DRUGBANK Etoperidone
drug DRUGBANK Potassium Chloride
pathway REACTOME Release
drug DRUGBANK Dimethyltryptamine
drug DRUGBANK Ribostamycin
disease MESH functional status
disease MESH social stigma
drug DRUGBANK Sulfasalazine
disease MESH Causes
disease MESH psychological trauma
drug DRUGBANK Adenosine
disease MESH gambling
drug DRUGBANK Nicotine
drug DRUGBANK Troleandomycin

Original Article

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