Associations of Autism Spectrum Quotient and Personality Profiles with Eating Behaviors in Patients with Anorexia Nervosa and in a Non-clinical Population
Year: 2019
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Several lines of evidence have revealed that patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) exhibit autistic features and characteristic personality profiles.The aims of the present study were : 1) to investigate whether AN is as sociated with autistic features and a distinct personality profile, and 2) to examine the influence of personality profiles and autistic features on body weight and eating attitudes in a non-clinical population.Participants were 22 women with AN and 94 healthy women.All participants were administered the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), and the 26-item Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26).Consis tent with previous studies, the TCI revealed that patients with AN had significantly higher 'harm avoidance' and lower 'novelty seeking', 'reward dependence', and 'self-directedness' dimension scores than healthy controls.AQ scores were significantly higher in the patient group than in the healthy controls.Further, we found that elevated AQ scores and a distinct personality profile were observed in AN patients.These were also associated with restrictive eating behaviors, as assessed by the EAT-26, in healthy individuals.Our findings suggest that high AQ scores and the characteristic TCI profile observed in patients with AN are associated with eating behaviors prior to the onset of AN.Furthermore, high AQ scores and a distinct personality profile may be a risk factor for developing AN.Further studies using a longitudinal design may confirm these findings and help to develop AN prevention methods for effectively targeting young individuals at risk.
Authors: Takahashi-Asai, Yuka, Sasayama, Daimei, Sugiyama, Nobuhiro, Maruyama, Fumi, Washizuka, Shinsuke
Institutions: Shinshu University, Suwa Red Cross Hospital
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3164582523