Emotions mediate the relationship between autistic traits and disordered eating: A new autistic-emotional model for eating pathology

Mansour, Sahar; Rozenblat, Vanja; Fuller‐Tyszkiewicz, Matthew; Paganini, Chiara; Treasure, Janet; Krug, Isabel

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2016.08.021

Cited by 22 publications

(48 citation statements)

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“…Empathy and psychological inflexibility were measured through self‐report questionnaires. Five studies examined more than one type of autistic‐like behaviour (Bremser & Gallup, ; Carton & Smith, ; Griffiths, Murray, & Touyz, ; Mansour et al, ; Naor‐Ziv & Glicksohn, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One study used an abbreviated 10‐item version of the AQ (AQ‐10), which has a similar sensitivity and specificity as the full version (Raynal et al, ). Three studies found significant associations between high scores on the AQ and problematic eating behaviours (Carton & Smith, ; Coombs et al, ; Mansour et al, ), one of which was on children (11–14 years) (Coombs et al, ). All three studies reported significant correlations between particularly the EAT‐26 subscales of “bulimia and food preoccupation” and “oral control” and several of the AQ subscales; bulimia and food preoccupation was associated to “social skills,” “communication,” and “attention to detail,” whereas oral control was associated to “attention switching” and “attention to detail.” The bulimia and food preoccupation subscale assesses BN‐like behaviours with the questions “I have an impulse to vomit after meals” and “I have gone on eating binges where I feel I might not be able to stop,” and this subscale showed the strongest and most consistent associations across studies.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, one study including nearly 50% males found that problematic eating (higher EAT‐26 score) was associated with having more empathy (Bremser & Gallup, ); and another study including only females found that problematic eating was associated with lower levels of empathy (Costarelli et al, ). Finally, a third study including primarily females (less than 20% males) found no associations between empathy and EAT‐26 scores (Mansour et al, ). Three studies investigated empathy and problematic eating in adolescents, and none of these found any significant associations (Costarelli et al, ; Cuzzocrea et al, ; Hartmann et al, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This theory is challenged, however, as the AQ includes several items other than social experiences, which are also related to disordered eating in our analysis. In terms of problematic eating behaviours, the bulimia and food preoccupation subscale of the EAT‐26 appeared to be the most consistent correlation to several autistic‐like behaviours, suggesting that autistic symptomatology may be of particular significance in relation to this type of eating behaviour (Carton & Smith, ; Mansour et al, ). However, AN is much less prevalent in the general population than BN (Hoek & van Hoeken, ), and the lack of association with AN‐like eating behaviours might be a matter of lack of power.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Disordered eating behaviours and autistic traits—Are there any associations in nonclinical populations? A systematic review

Christensen

Bentz

Clemmensen

et al. 2018

Euro Eating Disorders Rev

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Disordered eating behaviours and autistic traits—Are there any associations in nonclinical populations? A systematic review

Christensen

Bentz

Clemmensen

et al. 2018

Euro Eating Disorders Rev

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“…Individuals with AN are also significantly more likely to have ASD symptoms than the general population [75]. For [76,77]. However, it is important to bear in mind that similar cognitive biases have been found in otherwise healthy individuals experiencing starvation [78], therefore it is possible that the similarities between ASD and AN are a temporary result of the eating disorder, rather than a shared underlying cause.…”

Section: Anorexia Nervosamentioning

confidence: 99%

Protective Effect or Missed Diagnosis? Females with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Hull

Mandy

2017

Future Neurol.

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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has historically been diagnosed more frequently in males than females. One explanation for this is the 'female protective effect': that there is something inherent in being female that makes girls and women less susceptible to ASD.Another possibility is that ASD is under-diagnosed in girls and women, due to the existence of a 'female autism phenotype', which is not well captured by current, male-biased diagnostic criteria. To evaluate the 'female protective effect' and 'female autism phenotype' hypotheses, this narrative review describes recent developments exploring the genetic underpinning and behavioural expression of ASD in females. We then look at ways to better identify females with ASD who may be missed under the current diagnostic criteria. KeywordsAutism, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Gender Differences, Sex Differences, Genetics, Diagnosis, Person-Environment Fit IntroductionAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental conditions characterised by deficits in social communication and reciprocity, and by restricted and repetitive interests and behaviours 1 . ASD is the current term used to integrate the previously separate diagnostic categories of autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder and pervasive developmental disorder -not otherwise specified (aka 'atypical autism' [2]). ASD is a lifelong condition that is present from birth. Although adult diagnosis is possible, symptoms must be reported as present from early developmental stages in order for the 1 In line with preferences from a majority of the autism community [1], we use identity-first language (e.g. 'autistic person') to refer to individuals with an ASD throughout this paper, while recognising that others might prefer person-first language (e.g. 'person with autism'). Gender differences in diagnosisASD affects approximately one to two per cent of the population [3,4], and is much more likely to be diagnosed in males than in females. Gender ratios in diagnosis vary depending on the country, cohort, and characteristics of those included, but average ratios are reported at around four males for every one female [3][4][5]. However, when looking at those individuals with intellectual disability, the male-to-female ratio narrows significantly to around two-toone [6]. In addition, population-based studies, which screen all participants in order to identify cases regardless of whether they have already been diagnosed by local services, suggest that the male-to-female ratio is closer to 3:1 [7,8]. This is in contrast to the average of around 4-5:1 generally reported in studies based on clinically-diagnosed cases [9]. The fact that a lower proportion of females are found in clinical samples than in community-based, epidemiological samples suggests that there is a bias against autistic girls and women coming to clinical attention. This bias may have existed from the very first conceptions of ASD; only 3 of 11 children in Kanner's original cases were female, and no gi...

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Eating disturbances in adults with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disabilities

et al. 2021

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There is a growing interest in the relationship between autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and eating disorders (EDs), two relatively common conditions lying on a spectrum from mild to severe clinical features. However, only limited data are available about pathological eating behaviors throughout adults on the autistic spectrum. The aim of the present study is to assess dysfunctional eating behaviors, including EDs manifestations and ASDs-related eating disturbances, in a population of adults with ASDs without intellectual disabilities. We recruited 106 adults on the autistic spectrum, without intellectual disability and 103 neurotypical adults (NAs). Participants completed the "Eating Attitude Test" (EAT-26), to measure symptoms and concerns characteristic of EDs, and the "Swedish Eating Assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorders" (SWEAA), to assess eating behaviors frequently observed within the autistic spectrum. Participants with ASDs scored significantly higher than NA at the EAT-26 and at the SWEAA. Moreover, participants with ASDs scored higher than NA at the EAT-26 subscales Dieting and Bulimia. The difference between groups remained significant after controlling for the effect of age, biological sex, and BMI. These results suggest that adults with ASDs without intellectual disability presented not only a higher prevalence of eating disturbances typical of the autistic spectrum, but also other symptoms of EDs in comparison to NA. Lay Summary: For both scales assessing eating disturbances (EAT-26 and SWEAA), participants with ASDs scored higher than NA, presenting a higher prevalence both of eating disturbances typical of ASDs and of ED symptoms (distorted body image, tendency toward bulimic behaviors, and self-control of eating).

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Emotions mediate the relationship between autistic traits and disordered eating: A new autistic-emotional model for eating pathology

Cited by 22 publications

References 47 publications

Disordered eating behaviours and autistic traits—Are there any associations in nonclinical populations? A systematic review

Disordered eating behaviours and autistic traits—Are there any associations in nonclinical populations? A systematic review

Protective Effect or Missed Diagnosis? Females with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Eating disturbances in adults with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disabilities

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