Gastrointestinal symptoms in adults with elevated autistic traits: The mediating role of general and gastrointestinal-specific anxiety / Amy TONG in Research in Autism, 132 (April 2026)  

Public ISBD [article]  inResearch in Autism > 132 (April 2026) . - 202832 Titre : Gastrointestinal symptoms in adults with elevated autistic traits: The mediating role of general and gastrointestinal-specific anxiety Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Amy TONG, Auteur ; Martina CARBONI, Auteur ; James L. FINDON, Auteur Article en page(s) : 202832 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Autism  Co-morbidity  Anxiety  Gastrointestinal symptoms Résumé : Background Gastrointestinal symptoms (GIS) are prevalent in autistic adults, but little is known about their psychological predictors. This study examined general (anxiety, gastrointestinal-specific anxiety [GSA], neuroticism) and autism-specific (sensory over-responsivity [SOR], autism severity) psychological predictors of GIS in adults with varying levels of autistic traits. Methods One hundred and fifty-five adults without a formal autism diagnosis were divided into high (AQ+, n = 72) and low (AQ-, n = 83) autistic trait groups based on a cut-off score of 32 on the Autism Quotient. Participants completed self-report measures of gastrointestinal symptoms, autistic traits, and psychological characteristics including anxiety, GSA, neuroticism and SOR. Group differences were assessed using analysis of variance, and hierarchical regression was used to identify independent predictors of GIS. Anxiety and GSA emerged as the only independent predictors and were entered as parallel mediators testing whether they explained the association between autistic traits and GIS. Results The AQ+ group reported significantly greater GIS severity and frequency, particularly diarrhoea, constipation, and abdominal pain, together with higher anxiety, GSA, neuroticism, and SOR. In regression analyses, only anxiety and GSA independently predicted GIS. Mediation analysis indicated full mediation, with indirect effects via GSA (b = 0.0190, 95 % CI [0.0118, 0.0280]) and anxiety (b = 0.0089, 95 % CI [0.0040, 0.0148]). The model explained 50.4 % of variance in GIS severity. Conclusions Anxiety, particularly GSA, plays a central role in explaining GIS severity in adults with elevated autistic traits. Interventions targeting these psychological factors may offer a promising route to reducing GIS in this population. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reia.2026.202832 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=583 [article] Gastrointestinal symptoms in adults with elevated autistic traits: The mediating role of general and gastrointestinal-specific anxiety [texte imprimé] / Amy TONG, Auteur ; Martina CARBONI, Auteur ; James L. FINDON, Auteur . - 202832. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Research in Autism > 132 (April 2026) . - 202832 Mots-clés : Autism  Co-morbidity  Anxiety  Gastrointestinal symptoms Résumé : Background Gastrointestinal symptoms (GIS) are prevalent in autistic adults, but little is known about their psychological predictors. This study examined general (anxiety, gastrointestinal-specific anxiety [GSA], neuroticism) and autism-specific (sensory over-responsivity [SOR], autism severity) psychological predictors of GIS in adults with varying levels of autistic traits. Methods One hundred and fifty-five adults without a formal autism diagnosis were divided into high (AQ+, n = 72) and low (AQ-, n = 83) autistic trait groups based on a cut-off score of 32 on the Autism Quotient. Participants completed self-report measures of gastrointestinal symptoms, autistic traits, and psychological characteristics including anxiety, GSA, neuroticism and SOR. Group differences were assessed using analysis of variance, and hierarchical regression was used to identify independent predictors of GIS. Anxiety and GSA emerged as the only independent predictors and were entered as parallel mediators testing whether they explained the association between autistic traits and GIS. Results The AQ+ group reported significantly greater GIS severity and frequency, particularly diarrhoea, constipation, and abdominal pain, together with higher anxiety, GSA, neuroticism, and SOR. In regression analyses, only anxiety and GSA independently predicted GIS. Mediation analysis indicated full mediation, with indirect effects via GSA (b = 0.0190, 95 % CI [0.0118, 0.0280]) and anxiety (b = 0.0089, 95 % CI [0.0040, 0.0148]). The model explained 50.4 % of variance in GIS severity. Conclusions Anxiety, particularly GSA, plays a central role in explaining GIS severity in adults with elevated autistic traits. Interventions targeting these psychological factors may offer a promising route to reducing GIS in this population. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reia.2026.202832 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=583

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