Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) symptoms in gender diverse adults and their relation to autistic traits, ADHD traits, and sensory sensitivities

Kai S. Thomas; Jennifer Keating; Avalon A. Ross; Kate Cooper; Catherine R.G. Jones

doi:10.1186/s40337-025-01215-z

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) symptoms in gender diverse adults and their relation to autistic traits, ADHD traits, and sensory sensitivities

Kai S. Thomas, Jennifer Keating, Avalon A. Ross, Kate Cooper, Catherine R.G. Jones

Department of Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Citation (SciVal)

Abstract

Background: There is emerging evidence to suggest gender diverse people are overrepresented in avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) samples. However, the mechanisms underlying elevated risk for ARFID in this group are currently unknown. Gender diversity and neurodivergence commonly co-occur, with elevated sensory sensitivities reported to be a shared experience common across autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and ARFID. We aimed to examine the unique contribution of sensory sensitivities, including hypo- and hyper-sensitivity, in predicting ARFID symptoms in gender diverse adults, whilst controlling for autistic and ADHD traits.

Methods: Gender diverse adults (N = 182; 142 assigned female at birth; M age = 28.6 years) in the UK participated in an online survey. We examined correlations between their self-reported ARFID symptoms, sensory sensitivities, autistic traits (not including sensory sensitivities), and ADHD traits whilst controlling for weight and shape concerns. We then used hierarchical multiple regression to investigate the unique contribution of sensory sensitivities to ARFID symptoms whilst controlling for the other neurodivergent traits.

Results: In our gender diverse sample, higher levels of ARFID symptoms were associated with higher levels of sensory sensitivities, autistic traits, and ADHD traits, after controlling for weight and shape concerns. Furthermore, sensory sensitivities, specifically hyper-sensitivity, uniquely predicted levels of ARFID symptoms once we accounted for autistic and ADHD traits.

Conclusions: When considering neurodivergence, sensory hyper-sensitivities may be particularly relevant to ARFID symptomatology in gender diverse adults. Future research should explore associations between ARFID presentations and sensory sensitivities in large samples of gender diverse adults, to enable separate analyses by gender identity.

Original language	English
Article number	33
Journal	Journal of Eating Disorders
Volume	13
Issue number	1
Early online date	17 Feb 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-025-01215-z
Publication status	Published - 17 Feb 2025

Data Availability Statement

Data are available at https://osf.io/s4eua/.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the participants who contributed their time to the study, as well as Grace Williams, Grace Clark, Lowri Evans, Klaudia Zwawiak, and Holly Young for their help with data collection. For the purpose of Open Access, the author has applied a CC BY public copyright license to any Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) version arising from this submission.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Keywords

ADHD traits
Autistic traits
Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)
Gender diversity
Sensory sensitivity
Transgender

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Nutrition and Dietetics
Psychiatry and Mental health
Behavioral Neuroscience

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1186/s40337-025-01215-zLicence: CC BY

Cite this

@article{994e54b7cc804b66b0c8920aa7637752,

title = "Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) symptoms in gender diverse adults and their relation to autistic traits, ADHD traits, and sensory sensitivities",

abstract = "Background: There is emerging evidence to suggest gender diverse people are overrepresented in avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) samples. However, the mechanisms underlying elevated risk for ARFID in this group are currently unknown. Gender diversity and neurodivergence commonly co-occur, with elevated sensory sensitivities reported to be a shared experience common across autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and ARFID. We aimed to examine the unique contribution of sensory sensitivities, including hypo- and hyper-sensitivity, in predicting ARFID symptoms in gender diverse adults, whilst controlling for autistic and ADHD traits. Methods: Gender diverse adults (N = 182; 142 assigned female at birth; M age = 28.6 years) in the UK participated in an online survey. We examined correlations between their self-reported ARFID symptoms, sensory sensitivities, autistic traits (not including sensory sensitivities), and ADHD traits whilst controlling for weight and shape concerns. We then used hierarchical multiple regression to investigate the unique contribution of sensory sensitivities to ARFID symptoms whilst controlling for the other neurodivergent traits. Results: In our gender diverse sample, higher levels of ARFID symptoms were associated with higher levels of sensory sensitivities, autistic traits, and ADHD traits, after controlling for weight and shape concerns. Furthermore, sensory sensitivities, specifically hyper-sensitivity, uniquely predicted levels of ARFID symptoms once we accounted for autistic and ADHD traits. Conclusions: When considering neurodivergence, sensory hyper-sensitivities may be particularly relevant to ARFID symptomatology in gender diverse adults. Future research should explore associations between ARFID presentations and sensory sensitivities in large samples of gender diverse adults, to enable separate analyses by gender identity.",

keywords = "ADHD traits, Autistic traits, Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), Gender diversity, Sensory sensitivity, Transgender",

author = "Thomas, {Kai S.} and Jennifer Keating and Ross, {Avalon A.} and Kate Cooper and Jones, {Catherine R.G.}",

year = "2025",

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doi = "10.1186/s40337-025-01215-z",

language = "English",

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AU - Thomas, Kai S.

AU - Keating, Jennifer

AU - Ross, Avalon A.

AU - Cooper, Kate

AU - Jones, Catherine R.G.

PY - 2025/2/17

Y1 - 2025/2/17

N2 - Background: There is emerging evidence to suggest gender diverse people are overrepresented in avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) samples. However, the mechanisms underlying elevated risk for ARFID in this group are currently unknown. Gender diversity and neurodivergence commonly co-occur, with elevated sensory sensitivities reported to be a shared experience common across autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and ARFID. We aimed to examine the unique contribution of sensory sensitivities, including hypo- and hyper-sensitivity, in predicting ARFID symptoms in gender diverse adults, whilst controlling for autistic and ADHD traits. Methods: Gender diverse adults (N = 182; 142 assigned female at birth; M age = 28.6 years) in the UK participated in an online survey. We examined correlations between their self-reported ARFID symptoms, sensory sensitivities, autistic traits (not including sensory sensitivities), and ADHD traits whilst controlling for weight and shape concerns. We then used hierarchical multiple regression to investigate the unique contribution of sensory sensitivities to ARFID symptoms whilst controlling for the other neurodivergent traits. Results: In our gender diverse sample, higher levels of ARFID symptoms were associated with higher levels of sensory sensitivities, autistic traits, and ADHD traits, after controlling for weight and shape concerns. Furthermore, sensory sensitivities, specifically hyper-sensitivity, uniquely predicted levels of ARFID symptoms once we accounted for autistic and ADHD traits. Conclusions: When considering neurodivergence, sensory hyper-sensitivities may be particularly relevant to ARFID symptomatology in gender diverse adults. Future research should explore associations between ARFID presentations and sensory sensitivities in large samples of gender diverse adults, to enable separate analyses by gender identity.

AB - Background: There is emerging evidence to suggest gender diverse people are overrepresented in avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) samples. However, the mechanisms underlying elevated risk for ARFID in this group are currently unknown. Gender diversity and neurodivergence commonly co-occur, with elevated sensory sensitivities reported to be a shared experience common across autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and ARFID. We aimed to examine the unique contribution of sensory sensitivities, including hypo- and hyper-sensitivity, in predicting ARFID symptoms in gender diverse adults, whilst controlling for autistic and ADHD traits. Methods: Gender diverse adults (N = 182; 142 assigned female at birth; M age = 28.6 years) in the UK participated in an online survey. We examined correlations between their self-reported ARFID symptoms, sensory sensitivities, autistic traits (not including sensory sensitivities), and ADHD traits whilst controlling for weight and shape concerns. We then used hierarchical multiple regression to investigate the unique contribution of sensory sensitivities to ARFID symptoms whilst controlling for the other neurodivergent traits. Results: In our gender diverse sample, higher levels of ARFID symptoms were associated with higher levels of sensory sensitivities, autistic traits, and ADHD traits, after controlling for weight and shape concerns. Furthermore, sensory sensitivities, specifically hyper-sensitivity, uniquely predicted levels of ARFID symptoms once we accounted for autistic and ADHD traits. Conclusions: When considering neurodivergence, sensory hyper-sensitivities may be particularly relevant to ARFID symptomatology in gender diverse adults. Future research should explore associations between ARFID presentations and sensory sensitivities in large samples of gender diverse adults, to enable separate analyses by gender identity.

KW - ADHD traits

KW - Autistic traits

KW - Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)

KW - Gender diversity

KW - Sensory sensitivity

KW - Transgender

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M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85219668978

SN - 2050-2974

VL - 13

JO - Journal of Eating Disorders

JF - Journal of Eating Disorders

IS - 1

M1 - 33

ER -

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) symptoms in gender diverse adults and their relation to autistic traits, ADHD traits, and sensory sensitivities

Abstract

Data Availability Statement

Acknowledgements

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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