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Health anxiety in autistic adults

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Gareth RichardsORCiD

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Abstract

Background: Health anxiety involves misinterpreting normal bodily sensations as symptoms of a serious illness. No study to date has explored health anxiety in autistic adults. This cross-sectional study had three aims: 1) to examine the levels of health anxiety in autistic and non-autistic adults, 2) to explore sex differences in health anxiety across both subsamples, and 3) to determine whether autistic traits were associated with health anxiety in either or both subsamples. 􏰫ethod: A cross-sectional self-report questionnaire measuring demographic information (sex, age, ethnicity), diagnostic information, comorbid diagnoses, autistic traits, and health anxiety was distributed to 110 autistic and 110 non-autistic adults without intellectual disability.R􏰬esults: The findings showed health anxiety to be significantly higher in autistic than non-autistic adults, and significantly higher in females than males in both subsamples. Almost 1 in 3 autistic people reported clinically significant levels of health anxiety. Positive correlations were found between autistic traits and health anxiety in both autistic and non-autistic subsamples, and these relationships remained statistically significantly after controlling for covariates.C􏰭onclusions: This is the first study to investigate health anxiety in a sample of autistic people, and also the first to consider the relationship between autistic traits and health anxiety in both autistic and non-autistic individuals. The findings have both clinical and research implications.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Galvin J, Richards G

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Year: 2023

Volume: 104

Print publication date: 01/06/2023

Online publication date: 03/04/2023

Acceptance date: 29/03/2023

Date deposited: 02/05/2023

ISSN (print): 1750-9467

ISSN (electronic): 1878-0237

Publisher: Elsevier

URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2023.102146

DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2023.102146

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