TITLE:
A Qualitative Study of Friendship in Patients with Anorexia Nervosa and Possible Autism Spectrum Disorder
AUTHORS:
Eli Doris, Heather Westwood, William Mandy, Kate Tchanturia
KEYWORDS:
Anorexia Nervosa, Eating Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Friendship, Qualitative Study
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.5 No.11,
August
25,
2014
ABSTRACT: Difficulties in friendships have been reported both in people with Autism
Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and in individuals with Anorexia Nervosa (AN). This
small-scale qualitative study aimed to evaluate the friendship experiences of
seven patients with AN who presented with possible ASD traits; to determine
whether their experiences were reflective of those found in people with ASD,
and whether any difficulties were present before the onset of their eating
disorder. Participants were interviewed using the ADOS-G and the interviews
were transcribed and analysed. Four principle themes emerged from the thematic
analysis: limited social network, lack of contact or communication, difficulty
understanding the concept of friendship, and focus of attention away from the
self; which could not be explained by the state of starvation alone. The
evidence presented here not only reflects the friendship experiences of
individuals with AN as documented in the literature, but also the friendship
difficulties which have been observed in people with ASD without a comorbid
eating disorder. The findings provide evidence that friendship difficulties
experienced by people with AN precede the onset of the eating disorder and
therefore offer support for the idea of a shared phenotype between AN and ASD.
This study also highlights the need to address friendship difficulties in
treatment interventions for AN in order to promote recovery. Further research
is warranted to better explore the friendship similarities between people with
AN and ASD, and to develop friendship focused interventions for patients with
AN.