Autism Spectrum Disorder and Picky eating: A quantitative study about the interplay between autistic traits, anxiety and Picky Eating in the general population

Abstract

The aim of the study was to further investigate the interplay between the autistic traits, anxiety and Picky Eating behaviours, in particular the influence of anxiety on the relationship between autistic traits and Picky Eating. The research was conducted in a sample of 134 people drawn form the general population. The participants completed a battery which consisted of multiple self-report instruments to measure the extend in which they displayed autistic traits, picky eating and experienced anxiety. Analyses found that autistic traits and anxiety both predicted Picky Eating, although no interaction was found and thus anxiety did not seem to influence the relationship between autistic traits and Picky Eating. The present study proposes a different model as explanation for the absence of an interaction between autistic traits and anxiety in which anxiety is understood as a consequence of prevalent autistic traits, rather than two independent factors.