Orthorexia and autism spectrum in University workers: relationship with gender, body mass index and dietary habits

Dell’Osso, Liliana; Nardi, Benedetta; Benedetti, Francesca; Cremone, Ivan Mirko; Casagrande, Danila; Massimetti, Gabriele; Carmassi, Claudia; Carpita, Barbara

doi:10.1007/s40519-022-01514-3

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Noticeably, another feature typical of ASD females was reported to be a different pattern of restrictive interests, which may include a specific focus on food and diet. On the basis of these considerations, and of the symptomatologic overlaps between ASD and Anorexia nervosa, including a common difficulty in Theory of Mind tasks, several authors hypothesized that Anorexia nervosa, and eventually other Feeding and Eating Disorders (FEDs), may be considered a female-specific ASD presentation [ 16 , 17 , 19 , 20 , 100 ]. While the first author to hypothesize a link between ASD and AN was Gillberg in the 1980s [ 101 ], to date several studies supported an association between autism spectrum and FEDs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sub-threshold autistic traits were first investigated among first-degree relatives of ASD patients, where they are known under the name of “broad autism phenotype” [ 14 , 15 ]. However, further studies identified other populations at higher risk of showing autistic traits, ranging from students of scientific courses to psychiatric patients with other kinds of disorders [ 3 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. These traits are divided into various dimensions, although research indicates that not all of these dimensions strongly correlate with one another [ 23 ] and that different dimensions may be linked to various outcomes [ 24 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comorbidity and Overlaps between Autism Spectrum and Borderline Personality Disorder: State of the Art

Dell’Osso,

Cremone,

Nardi

et al. 2023

Brain Sciences

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Despite the relationship between Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and personality disorders (PD) still being scarcely understood, recent investigations increased awareness about significant overlaps between some PD and autism spectrum conditions. In this framework, several studies suggested the presence of similarities between BPD and ASD symptoms and traits, based on the recent literature that increasingly reported increased comorbidity rates and significant symptomatologic overlaps between the two conditions. The aim of this review is to describe the available studies about the prevalence of the association between different forms of autism spectrum (full-fledged clinical conditions as well as subthreshold autistic traits) and BPD. Despite some controversial results and lack of homogeneity in the methods used for the diagnostic assessment, the reviewed literature highlighted how subjects with BPD reported higher scores on tests evaluating the presence of AT compared to a non-clinical population and hypothesized the presence of unrecognized ASD in some BPD patients or vice versa, while also describing a shared vulnerability towards traumatic events, and a greater risk of suicidality in BPD subjects with high autistic traits. However, the specific measure and nature of this association remain to be explored in more depth.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comorbidity and Overlaps between Autism Spectrum and Borderline Personality Disorder: State of the Art

Dell’Osso,

Cremone,

Nardi

et al. 2023

Brain Sciences

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“…In the recent years, research on ASD has emphasized the need to examine milder, sub-clinical manifestations of the autism spectrum as well as the full-blown clinical forms, which appear to be distributed along a continuum from the general to the clinical population (31,(39)(40)(41)(42). First-degree relatives of people with ASD were firstly studied for sub-threshold autistic features, which are referred to as "broad autism phenotype" (43,44); however, additional research has discovered other groups of people that are more likely to exhibit autistic features, from students of scientific courses to psychiatric patients with different types of disorders (44)(45)(46)(47)(48)(49)(50)(51)(52)(53). In particular, subthreshold autistic traits are of interest because they exert a negative impact on quality of life and to represent a major risk factor for the emergence of various psychiatric disorders, as well as suicidal thoughts and behaviors (54)(55)(56)(57).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Presence and correlates of autistic traits among patients with social anxiety disorder

Carpita,

Nardi,

Bonelli

et al. 2024

Front. Psychiatry

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IntroductionDue to their similar behavioral presentation, it can sometimes be challenging to distinguish between a social anxiety disorder (SAD) and the social avoidance that is frequently described in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Moreover, a growing body of evidences is reporting that a significant proportion of subjects with ASD also meet the requirements for SAD and, vice versa, subjects with SAD tend to exhibit a higher prevalence of autistic traits.AimIn this framework, the current study aims to evaluate prevalence and correlates of autistic traits in a sample of adult subjects diagnosed with SAD and healthy controls (HC), also evaluating which autism spectrum dimensions may statistically predict higher SAD symptoms.Methods56 subjects with a clinical diagnosis of SAD and 56 gender and age matched HC were recruited from the Psychiatric Clinic of the University of Pisa. Subjects were assessed with the SCID-5, the Social Anxiety Spectrum – Short Version (SHY- SV) and the Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum (AdAS Spectrum).ResultsSAD group scored significantly higher in all AdAS Spectrum and SHY-SV domains and total score compared to the HC group with no significant gender difference. SHY-SV total and domain scores, were strongly and positively and strongly correlated with all AdAS Spectrum domains and total score. AdAS Spectrum total score and Childhood/Adolescence, Non-Verbal Communication, Empathy and Restricted interests and Rumination domain scores score were significant predictors of higher SHY-SV score.ConclusionOur results confirm the link between SAD and autistic traits also in adult population, describing not only high levels of autistic traits in SAD adults, but also significant correlations between many core features of the two disorders and a predictive role of autistic traits on higher SAD symptoms.

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“…Indeed, autistic traits have been frequently reported among FED patients and at the same time atypical eating behaviors are common in ASD subjects, leading numerous authors to the suggestion of conceptualizing FEDs as a possible psychopathological trajectory of a neurodevelopmental alteration wherein the female gender is one of several risk factors [37,38]. In this framework, recently growing interest has been dedicated to the concept of a relationship between orthorexia nervosa (ON) and autistic traits, due to the great similarities that the first shares with AN, showing a significant overlap between ON and autism spectrum psychopathology [39,40]. Lastly, numerous authors have highlighted the overlap between ASD and catatonia, both from a clinical and pathophysiological perspective [41].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autistic Traits as Predictors of Increased Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder Severity: The Role of Inflexibility and Communication Impairment

Dell’Osso,

Nardi,

Bonelli

et al. 2024

Brain Sciences

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Due to similar manifestations, some authors have proposed a potential correlation between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). This link has long been recognized and debated, with some authors arguing that these disorders frequently occur comorbid but distinct while others believe they are part of the same spectrum. The aim of our study was to explore the prevalence and correlates of autistic traits in 55 OCD patients and 55 matched controls and to assess possible autistic dimensions predictive of higher OCD symptoms. All participants were assessed with the Obsessive–Compulsive Spectrum-Short Version (OBS-SV) and the Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum (AdAS Spectrum). The OCD group scored significantly higher in both questionnaires. Total OBS-SV scores and domains were significantly correlated with all AdAS Spectrum domains and total score. The AdAS Spectrum total, Verbal Communication and Inflexibility and adherence to routine domain scores were significant positive predictors of higher OBS-SV scores. Lastly, when two clusters of subjects (high and low autism) were determined, Inflexibility and adherence to routine domain presented the greatest influence in forming the clusters. Our findings support the association between OCD and autistic traits in the adult population, supporting the hypothesis of a neurodevelopmental basis for these psychiatric conditions.

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Orthorexia and autism spectrum in University workers: relationship with gender, body mass index and dietary habits

Cited by 4 publications

References 57 publications

Comorbidity and Overlaps between Autism Spectrum and Borderline Personality Disorder: State of the Art

Comorbidity and Overlaps between Autism Spectrum and Borderline Personality Disorder: State of the Art

Presence and correlates of autistic traits among patients with social anxiety disorder

Autistic Traits as Predictors of Increased Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder Severity: The Role of Inflexibility and Communication Impairment

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