"For me, the anorexia is just a symptom, and the cause is the autism” – Investigating restrictive eating disorders in autistic women

Brede, Janina, Babb, Charlotte ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5416-640X, Jones, Catherine ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0541-0431, Elliott, Mair, Zanker, Cathy, Tchanturia, Kate, Serpell, Lucy, Fox, John ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3039-8024 and Mandy, Will 2020. "For me, the anorexia is just a symptom, and the cause is the autism” – Investigating restrictive eating disorders in autistic women. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 50 , pp. 4280-4296. 10.1007/s10803-020-04479-3

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Abstract

Autistic women are overrepresented among people in treatment for Anorexia Nervosa (AN). The current study aimed to: (1) better understand how AN develops and persists in autistic individuals from the perspective of autistic women, parents and healthcare professionals; (2) derive a theoretical model of restrictive eating difficulties in autism. We conducted 44 semi-structured interviews and used Thematic Analysis to identify patterns of meaning across the data. Themes related to sensory sensitivities, social interaction and relationships, sense of self and identity, difficulties with emotions, thinking styles, and a need for control and predictability. We developed a model of potential autism-specific mechanisms underlying restrictive eating difficulties. This study generated novel insights, which have the potential to inform treatment adaptations following empirical testing.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology
Publisher:	Springer Verlag (Germany)
ISSN:	0162-3257
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	25 March 2020
Date of Acceptance:	21 March 2020
Last Modified:	02 May 2023 16:52
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/130570

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