Attrition in Autism Research for Challenging Behavior: A Preliminary Investigation Into Parental Stress and Other Predictors Related to Project Completion

The increasing prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the United States has elevated the need for inclusive and representative intervention research. However, attrition within research initiatives that include autistic individuals who engage in challenging behavior remains understudied. This study examined predictors of study completion across three levels of engagement: consent only (full attrition), treatment only (partial attrition), and full study completion (no attrition). Participants included 182 caregiver-child dyads enrolled in a multi-component study involving a behavior-analytic treatment and a severity tool research portion. Using retrospective data and ordinal logistic regression, we explored whether participant challenging behavior topographies, demographics, and parental stress predicted study completion type. Results indicated that child elopement and higher parental stress scores marginally predicted full study completion after a Bonferroni adjustment, while demographic variables were not significant predictors. These findings may suggest that caregiver urgency regarding specific challenging behaviors and higher perceived stress may increase research engagement. Routine examination of attrition patterns within multi-component intervention studies may support more equitable and representative participation in autism treatment research.