Social motivation and sensory over-responsivity: Independent correlates of picky eating severity in early childhood
- 1Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, 4444 Forest Park Ave, Suite 2100, St. Louis, MO, 63108, USA
- 2Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA
Abstract
Objective:: Picky eating is common in children, but when persistent, is predictive of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). Multiple factors have been individually associated with picky eating severity in early childhood, but these rarely have been modeled simultaneously, leaving the relative importance of each unclear. Rather than categorical ARFID diagnosis, this exploratory study used a dimensional measure of picky eating severity in early childhood, identifying independent psychological and clinical correlates of picky eating severity at ages when picky eating first becomes clinically relevant.
Method:: 323 community children aged 4–7 years (M(SD) = 5.96(1.10)) were oversampled for rigid, perfectionistic, and overcontrolled traits. Although autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was exclusionary, subclinical autistic traits were assessed. Candidate psychiatric symptoms and psychological constructs, including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autistic traits, sensory processing, disgust sensitivity, and overcontrol, were examined in linear regressions in relation to concurrent picky eating via the Nine Item ARFID Screen (NIAS-PE).
Results:: Individual linear regression models covarying for age demonstrated symptoms of depression, OCD, subclinical autistic traits, sensory over-responsivity, and overcontrolled temperament were each associated with picky eating severity. In a unified multivariable model, subclinical autistic traits (related primarily to social motivation deficits) and sensory over-responsivity emerged as the only independent correlates significantly associated with picky eating severity.
Discussion:: Subclinical ASD traits (particularly social motivation deficits) and sensory overresponsivity were independent correlates of dimensional picky eating severity at developmental ages when picky eating becomes non-normative. Findings should inform future work on ARFID risk stratification and treatment development.
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BibTeX
@article{nocera2026social,
title = {{Social motivation and sensory over-responsivity: Independent correlates of picky eating severity in early childhood}},
author = {Annamarie Nocera and Serena J. Gu and Rebecca F. Schwarzlose and Rebecca Tillman and Kirsten E. Gilbert},
journal = {Appetite. Disordered eating},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1016/j.appde.2026.100010},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appde.2026.100010},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Social motivation and sensory over-responsivity: Independent correlates of picky eating severity in early childhood
AU - Annamarie Nocera
AU - Serena J. Gu
AU - Rebecca F. Schwarzlose
AU - Rebecca Tillman
AU - Kirsten E. Gilbert
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/10
JO - Appetite. Disordered eating
DO - 10.1016/j.appde.2026.100010
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appde.2026.100010
AB - Objective:: Picky eating is common in children, but when persistent, is predictive of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). Multiple factors have been individually associated with picky eating severity in early childhood, but these rarely have been modeled simultaneously, leaving the relative importance of each unclear. Rather than categorical ARFID diagnosis, this exploratory study used a dimensional measure of picky eating severity in early childhood, identifying independent psychological and clinical correlates of picky eating severity at ages when picky eating first becomes clinically relevant. Method:: 323 community children aged 4–7 years (M(SD) = 5.96(1.10)) were oversampled for rigid, perfectionistic, and overcontrolled traits. Although autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was exclusionary, subclinical autistic traits were assessed. Candidate psychiatric symptoms and psychological constructs, including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autistic traits, sensory processing, disgust sensitivity, and overcontrol, were examined in linear regressions in relation to concurrent picky eating via the Nine Item ARFID Screen (NIAS-PE). Results:: Individual linear regression models covarying for age demonstrated symptoms of depression, OCD, subclinical autistic traits, sensory over-responsivity, and overcontrolled temperament were each associated with picky eating severity. In a unified multivariable model, subclinical autistic traits (related primarily to social motivation deficits) and sensory over-responsivity emerged as the only independent correlates significantly associated with picky eating severity. Discussion:: Subclinical ASD traits (particularly social motivation deficits) and sensory overresponsivity were independent correlates of dimensional picky eating severity at developmental ages when picky eating becomes non-normative. Findings should inform future work on ARFID risk stratification and treatment development.
SN - 3117-3950
ER -