Alexithymia and intolerance of uncertainty predict somatic symptoms in autistic and non-autistic adults.

ABSTRACT:

Lay abstract

Autistic people have more physical health problems than non-autistic people. We were interested in whether autistic people experience more discomfort in their bodies than non-autistic people and whether certain psychological traits contribute to that. A survey was completed online by older adolescents and adults, 51 of whom were autistic, 32 of whom thought they might be autistic but were not diagnosed and 119 who were not autistic. They completed measures of somatic symptoms (daily experience of pain, discomfort, dizziness), alexithymia (difficulty identifying and expressing feelings), interoception (how much people are aware of their bodies) and intolerance of uncertainty (how people handle doubt or uncertainty), and reported any physical or mental health conditions.

SUBMITTER: Larkin F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10076343 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature