Autistic Traits Mediate Reductions in Social Attention in Adults with Anorexia Nervosa.

This study examined attention to faces and facial features in AN, recovered AN (REC), and healthy controls, as well as relationships with comorbid psychopathology. One hundred and forty-eight participants' eye movements were tracked while watching a naturalistic social scene. Anxiety, depression, alexithymia, and autistic traits were assessed via self-report questionnaires. Participants with AN spent significantly less time looking at faces compared to REC and controls; patterns of attention to individual facial features did not differ across groups. Autistic traits mediated the relationship between group and time spent looking at faces.
PMID: 32910314 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - September 9, 2020 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Kerr-Gaffney J, Mason L, Jones E, Hayward H, Harrison A, Murphy D, Tchanturia K Tags: J Autism Dev Disord Source Type: research