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Exploring recovery from anorexia in autistic adults: a qualitative study

Abigail McIntosh, Rachael Hunter

BMJ Open, Volume: 16, Issue: 1, Start page: e111034

Swansea University Author: Abigail McIntosh

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DOI (Published version): 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-111034

Abstract

Objectives: To examine the barriers and facilitators of anorexia nervosa (AN) recovery in adults with autism. Design: Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with autistic adults who identified as being in recovery or having recovered from AN. Setting: Participants were recruited via adve...

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Published in: BMJ Open
ISSN: 2044-6055 2044-6055
Published: BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 2026
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71189
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spelling 2026-01-28T15:40:23.0594284 v2 71189 2026-01-05 Exploring recovery from anorexia in autistic adults: a qualitative study 2192090cc20a9acfa6df0311a23decce Abigail McIntosh Abigail McIntosh true false 2026-01-05 PSYS Objectives: To examine the barriers and facilitators of anorexia nervosa (AN) recovery in adults with autism. Design: Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with autistic adults who identified as being in recovery or having recovered from AN. Setting: Participants were recruited via advertisements on social media and an eating disorder (ED) forum. Online Zoom interviews with 12 participants were conducted from October to November 2023. Participants: Overall, 12 autistic adults who identified as being in recovery or recovered from AN were included (11 women and 1 man; aged between 18–50 years). Results: Four key themes were identified: ‘Sensory Experiences’, ‘Recovery in progress’, ‘Changing to healthy mindsets’ and ‘Engaging with treatment’. Results indicated that recovery for participants did not follow a linear path, with the role of autistic traits, such as sensory sensitivities, interoception and the internal voice, making recovery challenging. Conclusion: This study provides insight into the challenges and motivations experienced during the recovery process. Findings highlight the need for further research to improve guidelines and autism awareness in ED services. Journal Article BMJ Open 16 1 e111034 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 2044-6055 2044-6055 6 1 2026 2026-01-06 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-111034 COLLEGE NANME Psychology School COLLEGE CODE PSYS Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) Swansea University 2026-01-28T15:40:23.0594284 2026-01-05T11:38:03.6500141 Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences School of Psychology Abigail McIntosh 1 Rachael Hunter 2 71189__36129__5461138b87ac469b9b5eed903658c756.pdf 71189.VOR.pdf 2026-01-28T15:37:30.9407336 Output 303155 application/pdf Version of Record true © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported (CC BY 4.0) license. true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Exploring recovery from anorexia in autistic adults: a qualitative study
spellingShingle Exploring recovery from anorexia in autistic adults: a qualitative study
Abigail McIntosh
title_short Exploring recovery from anorexia in autistic adults: a qualitative study
title_full Exploring recovery from anorexia in autistic adults: a qualitative study
title_fullStr Exploring recovery from anorexia in autistic adults: a qualitative study
title_full_unstemmed Exploring recovery from anorexia in autistic adults: a qualitative study
title_sort Exploring recovery from anorexia in autistic adults: a qualitative study
author_id_str_mv 2192090cc20a9acfa6df0311a23decce
author_id_fullname_str_mv 2192090cc20a9acfa6df0311a23decce_***_Abigail McIntosh
author Abigail McIntosh
author2 Abigail McIntosh
Rachael Hunter
format Journal article
container_title BMJ Open
container_volume 16
container_issue 1
container_start_page e111034
publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
issn 2044-6055
2044-6055
doi_str_mv 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-111034
publisher BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
college_str Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
department_str School of Psychology{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Psychology
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description Objectives: To examine the barriers and facilitators of anorexia nervosa (AN) recovery in adults with autism. Design: Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with autistic adults who identified as being in recovery or having recovered from AN. Setting: Participants were recruited via advertisements on social media and an eating disorder (ED) forum. Online Zoom interviews with 12 participants were conducted from October to November 2023. Participants: Overall, 12 autistic adults who identified as being in recovery or recovered from AN were included (11 women and 1 man; aged between 18–50 years). Results: Four key themes were identified: ‘Sensory Experiences’, ‘Recovery in progress’, ‘Changing to healthy mindsets’ and ‘Engaging with treatment’. Results indicated that recovery for participants did not follow a linear path, with the role of autistic traits, such as sensory sensitivities, interoception and the internal voice, making recovery challenging. Conclusion: This study provides insight into the challenges and motivations experienced during the recovery process. Findings highlight the need for further research to improve guidelines and autism awareness in ED services.
published_date 2026-01-06T06:36:40Z
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score 11.108446

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