Anxiety, sensory over-responsivity, and gastrointestinal problems in children with autism spectrum disorders

J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2013 Jan;41(1):165-76. doi: 10.1007/s10802-012-9668-x.

Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) experience high rates of anxiety, sensory processing problems, and gastrointestinal (GI) problems; however, the associations among these symptoms in children with ASD have not been previously examined. The current study examined bivariate and multivariate relations among anxiety, sensory over-responsivity, and chronic GI problems in a sample of 2,973 children with ASD enrolled in the Autism Treatment Network (ages 2-17 years, 81.6 % male). Twenty-four percent of the sample experienced at least one type of chronic GI problem (constipation, abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, and/or nausea lasting three or more months). Children with each type of GI problem had significantly higher rates of both anxiety and sensory over-responsivity. Sensory over-responsivity and anxiety were highly associated, and each provided unique contributions to the prediction of chronic GI problems in logistic regression analyses. The results indicate that anxiety, sensory over-responsivity and GI problems are possibly interrelated phenomenon for children with ASD, and may have common underlying mechanisms.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Abdominal Pain / complications
  • Adolescent
  • Anxiety / complications*
  • Child
  • Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / complications
  • Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / physiopathology*
  • Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / psychology*
  • Child, Preschool
  • Chronic Disease
  • Constipation / complications
  • Diarrhea / complications
  • Female
  • Gastrointestinal Diseases / complications*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Regression Analysis
  • Sensation Disorders / complications*