Obsessive-Compulsive Traits and Problematic Internet Use Are Increased Among Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Is There a Role of Obsessive Doubts and Communication Impairment?

Abstract

Background: The link between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and the complexity of their differential diagnosis has been vastly investigated. Growing attention has been paid to the presence of problematic Internet use (PIU) in autistic individuals. Studies assessing OCD traits in autistic individuals are scarce and even less take into account the role that this overlap may have on the development and maintenance of PIU. We aimed to investigate OCD features in ASD individuals and their association with autism severity and the prevalence of PIU, and the potential dimensions associated with a greater probability of PIU.

Methods: a total of 46 participants with ASD and 53 controls were assessed with the Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum questionnaire and the Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum-Short Version.

Results: There were significantly higher OCD features in ASD participants along with important correlations between OCD and ASD dimensions and a higher prevalence of PIU in the ASD group. Participants with putative PIU reported greater scores on some ASD and OCD dimensions, the with Doubt and Non-verbal communication domains emerging as significant predictors of the presence of putative PIU.

Conclusions: These results support the three-way link between ASD, OCD, and PIU, contributing to the hypothesis of a neurodevelopmental basis for those conditions.

Keywords: autism spectrum disorder; obsessive–compulsive disorder; obsessive–compulsive spectrum; problematic Internet use disorder.