Health anxiety and somatic symptoms in adults on the autism spectrum

Abstract

Background: Somatic symptoms and health anxiety impact quality of life. Whether somatic symptoms and health anxiety correlate with autistic traits, anxiety/depression, sensory and personality characteristics has yet to be systematically investigated among autistic people. This study aimed to investigate somatic symptoms and health anxiety in autistic, and their clinical correlates. Methods: This study recruited 221 autistic adults (aged 28.1±8.5), 514 somatic symptom disorder (SSD), 194 anxiety or depressive disorders (affective disorder group, AFD), and 555 non-autistic controls. All participants completed the Health Anxiety Questionnaire and Patient Health Questionnaire-15 scales to assess health anxiety and somatic symptoms. Results: Autistic adults showed greater somatic symptoms and health anxiety than non-autistic controls. The level was similar to the AFD but lower than the SSD groups. Harm avoidance and low registration were associated with health anxiety and somatic symptoms in autism, while attention to details was positively associated with the needs of reassurance. Health-related anxiety was related to both depression and anxiety, and most domains on quality of life, with excessive health-related worries associated with greater anxiety and lower environmental life quality. Conclusion: Findings suggest significant somatic symptoms and health anxiety in autistic adults that warrants clinical attention.