An investigation of the frequency of social communication problems among adults admitted to acute mental health wards
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN27739943 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN27739943 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | 40960 |
- Submission date
- 03/06/2019
- Registration date
- 10/06/2019
- Last edited
- 01/02/2022
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
Problems with Social Communication (PSC), including Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD’s), are lifelong and associated with difficulties in social interaction, communication and restricted, repetitive behaviours. Most research has focused on these issues in childhood. Little is known about how common ASD’s and other PSC are among adults, including those admitted to psychiatric hospitals.
Identifying people with ASD’s and other PSC will enable them to access services appropriate for their needs that can improve their quality of life. There is a risk that these people are otherwise incorrectly diagnosed with other mental disorders, and offered treatments unlikely to be helpful for them. Nevertheless, some people have both PSC or ASD and other mental and physical health conditions (comorbidities), though the extent of this problem is poorly understood.
This study aims to:
(1) Estimate how common ASD’s are amongst adults who have been admitted to psychiatric hospitals
(2) Examine the association between other mental and physical health conditions in this population.
Who can participate?
Anyone aged over 18 who is or has been a psychiatric inpatient on an acute mental health ward
What does the study involve?
We will collect data on patient’s social communication, quality of life and physical and mental health (Phase 1). A subgroup of patients, selected via stratified random sampling according to Autism Quotient score, will be invited into Phase 2, involving comprehensive autism diagnostic criteria testing.
Patients with intellectual disabilities will bypass Phase 1 tests, progressing directly to Phase 2.
All Phase 2 patients will also be given a standardized interview regarding their physical and mental health. Following the Phase 2 interview, checklists for internationally recognised diagnostic criteria for autism will be completed by the assessing member of the research team, to establish whether the patient satisfies such criteria.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Individuals who participate in this study cannot be assured that they will directly benefit from the research themselves. However, the findings of this study will add to the currently limited evidence base in terms of the prevalence of autism among adults admitted to psychiatric hospitals, and the healthcare needs of this group.
In terms of risks, the study does not involve any invasive tests, such as blood testing. However, whilst most people enjoy completing the questionnaires and taking part in the interviews, some people can find certain questions potentially upsetting.
Where is the study run from?
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, UK
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
March 2019 to June 2021
Who is funding the study?
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), UK
Who is the main contact?
Dr Samuel J Tromans,
sjt56@leicester.ac.uk
Contact information
Scientific
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust
Agnes Unit
400 Anstey Lane
Leicester
LE7 7GL
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-0783-285X |
|---|---|
| Phone | 01162955098 |
| st386@leicester.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Observational; Design type: Cross-sectional |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Observational |
| Secondary study design | Cross sectional study |
| Study setting(s) | Other |
| Study type | Diagnostic |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use the contact details below to request a patient information sheet |
| Scientific title | The Prevalence of Social Communication PRoblems in Adult Psychiatric INpaTients: the SPRINT study |
| Study acronym | The SPRINT Study |
| Study hypothesis | The research aims to estimate the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD's) amongst adults who have been admitted to psychiatric hospitals (including those with intellectual disabilities) and examine the association between other mental and physical health conditions in adults who meet diagnostic criteria for ASDs with those who do not meet such criteria (all of whom have been admitted to a psychiatric hospital) and other psychiatric and physical comorbidities within an adult psychiatric inpatient population. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 22/02/2019, (East of England – Essex Research Ethics Committee, The Old Chapel, Royal Standard Place, Nottingham, NG1 6FS; nrescommitteee.eastofengland-essex@nhs.net; 0207 104 8115), ref: 19/EE/0009. |
| Condition | Psychiatric disorder requiring hospitalisation |
| Intervention | Adult patients (over 18 years of age) who have spent time on an acute mental health ward in a psychiatric hospital in Leicester will be invited to participate in the study. Phase 1 of the study will involve completion of questionnaire tests, including the Autism Quotient (AQ), the Adult Social Behaviour Questionnaire, (ASBQ, which will be completed by both the patient as well as an informant who knows them well, such as a close relative or long-term partner), EuroQol-5D-5L (EQ-5D-5L, completed by both participant and informant) and the informant version of the Social Responsiveness Scale, 2nd edition Adult (SRS-2). They will complete these questionnaires independently, and either post them back to the research team or make them available for a member of the research team to collect (if they are still in hospital). Patients with intellectual disabilities will not undertake the Phase 1 questionnaire tests and they will instead progress directly to Phase 2. Further information regarding all patients will be collected from them directly, using a standardised form designed by the research team. The information collected will include the following: Basic information: 1. Date of birth 2. Sex 3. Postcode 4. Ethnic group 5. Employment status 6. Relationship status Mental health (psychiatric) history: 7. Date of most recent psychiatric hospital admission 8. Discharge date of most recent psychiatric hospital admission (where applicable) 9. Total number of inpatient psychiatric admissions 10. Mental health diagnoses (ICD-10) Physical Health (Medical History): 11. Physical health diagnoses (ICD-10) A sample of patients without intellectual disabilities (selected according to their AQ test score) and all patients with intellectual disabilities, will be invited into Phase 2 of the study, involving further comprehensive autism diagnostic testing, including the diagnostic algorithm and forensic items for the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO-A), which will be undertaken with an informant for the patient, as well as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2), the Autism Spectrum Disorder interview within the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry version 3 (ASD-SCAN-3). Patients with intellectual disabilities will not undergo ASDSCAN-3 testing, and will instead be tested with the Stigma Questionnaire for people with Intellectual Disability (SQID). All patients will also be interviewed on the Physical Health Conditions and Mental Illness Diagnoses and Treatment sections of the 2014 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS), in order to provide information about their mental and physical health needs. Following the Phase 2 interview process, checklists for internationally recognised diagnostic criteria for ASD (the 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems Diagnostic Criteria for Research [ICD-10-DCR] and the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM-5]) will be completed by the assessing member of the research team, to establish whether the patient satisfies such criteria. |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure | The primary outcome measure for the study will be the absence or presence of meeting internationally agreed diagnostic criteria (ICD-10-DCR and DSM-5) for ASD. This will be after Phase 2 clinical assessments have been completed (i.e. Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and the Autism questions for the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry version 3), at which point the assessing member of the research team will establish whether the participant meets the diagnostic criteria through the use of ICD-10-DCR and DSM-5 diagnostic criteria checklists. |
| Secondary outcome measures | Extent of other mental and physical health conditions in adults in who meet diagnostic criteria for autism, compared with those who do not meet such criteria (this information will be obtained from data obtained on the standardized Phase 2 interviews regarding physical and mental comorbidity). |
| Overall study start date | 02/05/2017 |
| Overall study end date | 30/06/2021 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Patient |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | Planned Sample Size: 200; UK Sample Size: 200 |
| Participant inclusion criteria | 1. 18 to 65 years of age (on the date of psychiatric hospital admission) 2. Being or having been a psychiatric inpatient on an acute mental health ward 3. Understand written and/or verbal English |
| Participant exclusion criteria | 1. Clinical diagnosis of dementia 2. Patients lacking capacity will be excluded if they become distressed by the assessment process (at any point) or if their guardians are not in agreement with them remaining in the study. |
| Recruitment start date | 06/03/2019 |
| Recruitment end date | 31/12/2020 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- England
- United Kingdom
Study participating centre
Bridge Park Plaza
Bridge Park Road
Thurmaston
Leicester
LE4 8PQ
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
Hospital/treatment centre
Academic Department (Ground Floor)
Leicester General Hospital
Gwendolen Road
Leicester
LE5 4PW
England
United Kingdom
| Phone | 01162584099 |
|---|---|
| uolsponsor@le.ac.uk | |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/04h699437 |
Funders
Funder type
Government
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 31/03/2022 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Data sharing statement to be made available at a later date |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Planned publication in a high-impact peer-reviewed journal |
| IPD sharing plan | The current data sharing plans for this study are unknown and will be available at a later date |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protocol file | version v1 | 14/02/2019 | 14/06/2019 | No | No |
| Protocol article | protocol | 23/12/2019 | 05/11/2020 | Yes | No |
| HRA research summary | 28/06/2023 | No | No |
Additional files
- ISRCTN27739943_PROTOCOL_v1_14Feb2019.pdf
- Uploaded 14/06/2019
Editorial Notes
01/02/2022: The following changes have been made:
1. The study contact has been updated.
2. The overall trial end date has been changed from 31/12/2020 to 30/06/2021 and the plain English summary has been updated to reflect this change.
3. The intention to publish date has been changed from 31/12/2021 to 31/03/2022.
05/11/2020: Publication reference added.
07/08/2019: Internal review.
14/06/2019: Uploaded protocol (not peer-reviewed).
05/06/2019: Trial’s existence confirmed by NIHR.
