Autistic traits, sensory sensitivity and eating disturbances in a sample of young adults referring to a generalized mental health clinic.
Autistic traits
Eating disorders
Sensory sensitivity
Young adults
Journal
Eating and weight disorders : EWD
ISSN: 1590-1262
Titre abrégé: Eat Weight Disord
Pays: Germany
ID NLM: 9707113
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
23 Jan 2024
23 Jan 2024
Historique:
received:
22
11
2023
accepted:
16
01
2024
medline:
23
1
2024
pubmed:
23
1
2024
entrez:
23
1
2024
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
The relationship between autistic traits and eating disturbances has been given considerable attention over the last decades. The rise of a dimensional approach to psychopathology has expanded the way we think about autism, acknowledging that subthreshold autistic manifestations span across the general population and are more pronounced in psychiatric patients. Here we investigated the prevalence of eating disorders and its potential relationship with autistic traits and sensory sensitivity in a group of patients who were referred for the first time to a mental health outpatient clinic, without a formal diagnosis yet. 259 young adults (between 18 and 24 years old) completed: the Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26), the Swedish Eating Assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorders (SWEAA), the Autism Quotient (AQ), the Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised (RAADS-R), and the Sensory Perception Quotient-Short Form 35 item (SPQ-SF35). 23.55% of participants scored above the cut-off at the EAT-26, suggesting that they presented a risk for eating disorders and should be assessed by a specialized clinician; associations emerged between hypersensitivity in the touch and vision domain and both the EAT-26 and the SWEAA; the presence of autistic traits was largely associated with eating disturbances. This study underlines the significance of the eating domain as a central psychopathological feature in the distress experienced by young adults with general psychiatric symptoms and psychological suffering; it adds evidence to the association between autistic traits and eating disorders and opens to new research questions about the role of subthreshold autistic traits in general psychopathology. Level I: Evidence obtained from experimental studies.
Identifiants
pubmed: 38261082
doi: 10.1007/s40519-024-01639-7
pii: 10.1007/s40519-024-01639-7
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
10Informations de copyright
© 2024. The Author(s).
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