The implicit “Thin Ideal” in eating disorders

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 720-720
Author(s):  
E. Fadda ◽  
S. Fronza ◽  
E. Galimberti ◽  
L. Bellodi

IntroductionGreenwald and co-workers developed The implicit Association Test (IAT) to measure implicit automatic concept-attribute associations. Evidences have suggested that Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and Bulimia Nervosa (BN) were characterized by “Ideal Thin” construct.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was the evaluation, at an implicit level, of Ideal Thin construct in a sample of Eating Disorders (ED) patients.MethodsAn “Ideal thin” Implicit Association Tests (Ideal thin IAT) has been modeled, to evaluate the implicit ideal thin in ED patients compared with an healthy control group. IAT test has been administered to a sample composed by 17 AN patients, 14 BN patients, 17 Binge Eating patients (BED) and 32 healthy controls (HC). The target categories, were “OVERWEIGHT / UNDERWEIGHT” and “POSITIVE / NEGATIVE”. Stimuli included pictures of overweight and normal weight models and positive/negative words. A positive IAT effect underlines an implicit tendency to associate the category “UNDERWEIGHT” with negative attributes, instead a negative IAT effect suggest an implicit tendency to associate the same category with positive attributes.ResultsResults showed no significant difference between HC and clinical groups in implicit “Ideal Thin construct”. All groups showed positive IAT effect. No correlations between implicit attitude and clinical variables were found.ConclusionResults show a common implicit tendency generalized in the sample to positively judge underweight. This implicit tendency was stronger in patients with Anorexia Nervosa (0,30), than patents with Bulimia Nervosa (0,41), than Healthy Control (0,42), followed by patients with BED (0,56).

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 721-721
Author(s):  
A. Ricceri ◽  
S. Fronza ◽  
E. Galimberti ◽  
L. Bellodi

IntroductionGreenwald et al. (1998) developed The implicit Association Test (IAT) to measure automatic concept-attribute associations. The assumption of the test is that strongly associated (compatible) attribute-concept pairs should be easier to classify together than are weakly associated or opposed (incompatible) attribute concepts. Ease of classifying is measured by the response times and errors in performing such categorizations.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was the evaluation, at an implicit level, of the attitude concerning fat people in a sample of Eating Disorders (ED).MethodsA IAT modeled to assess self-esteem the attitude concerning fat and slim persons has been administered to 17 Anorexia Nervosa (AN), 14 Bulimia Nervosa (BN), 17 Binge Eating (BED) patients and 32 healthy controls (HC). In IAT, the target categories were represented by the words «FAT-SLIM» and «good / bad». Stimuli were images of faces of overweight and normal weight people and positive/negative word. A positive IAT effect underline an implicit tendency to associate the category «FAT» with positive attributes, instead a negative IAT effect suggest an implicit tendency to associate the same category with negative attributes.ResultsResults showed a significant difference between HC and clinical groups in implicit attitude concerning overweight persons. HC showed positive IAT effect, instead AN, BN and BED showed a negative IAT effect. No correlations between implicit attitude and clinical variables were found.ConclusionThese results suggest a common implicit tendency in ED’s groups, compared with controls, to negatively judge overweight persons.


1994 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 385-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. Schumaker ◽  
William G. Warren ◽  
Gwenda S. Schreiber ◽  
Craig C. Jackson

The present study employed the Riley Questionnaire of Experiences of Dissociation in order to assess degree of dissociation in females diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and bulimia. The subjects consisted of 26 anorexic and 18 bulimic females, and a non eating-disordered control group of 22 females. Results indicated that eating disordered subjects, considered together, had significantly higher dissociation scores than the non eating-disordered control group. Additionally, when considered separately, both the anorexic and bulimic groups had significantly higher dissociation scores than the control subjects. No significant difference was found in the level of dissociation between anorexic and bulimic groups. These findings are discussed in relation to previous investigations and implications for possible future research and treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 52-63
Author(s):  
Rulla Sabah ◽  
Ahmed saad abbas Fatin F.Al-Kazazz ◽  
Salam A.H Al-Ameri

Addiction is the most critical form of Addiction. It is a chronic disease with a potential for fatality if not treated. In this work, 180 samples of male individuals were collected in this study. They classified into three groups, groups:  G1 who were healthy control; G2 who was addicted to methamphetamine (meth); G3 who was addicted to tramadol (Tra). Each group consists of 60 heavy smokers Iraqi male individuals in the age range of 18-43 years. The results showed a highly significant increase (p<0.0001) in the level of Glucose of the two addicted groups in comparison with the healthy group. A highly significant decrease (p<0.0001) could be seen in the level of Zn of the two addicted groups G2, G3 compared to the control group, while the level of Cu of the two addicted groups were highly significant increased (p<0.0001). Also, the results showed a highly significant difference (p<0.0001) in BMI for the studied groups, G2, G3 in comparison with the control group. All addictive individuals under this study were at normal weight depending on their BMI.  


2000 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 302-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Rabe-Jablonska Jolanta ◽  
M. Sobow Tomasz

SummaryThe aim of the study was to search for a body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) period preceding the symptoms meeting the criteria of either anorexia or bulimia nervosa, and an evaluation of the prevalence of BDD symptoms in a control group of girls without any eating disorder. Ninety-three girls (12–21 years old) were included in the study (36 with anorexia nervosa, 17 with bulimia nervosa and 40 healthy controls). The Structured Clinical Interview (SCID), including the BDD module, and a novel questionnaire (for the presence of preceding life events) were used. We found the symptoms of BDD in 25% of anorexia nervosa sufferers for at least six months before observing a clear eating disorder picture. Moreover, other mental disorders were also present among these patients. The results may support the idea that BDD and anorexia nervosa both belong to either OCD or affective disorders spectra.


1983 ◽  
Vol 142 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Calloway ◽  
Peter Fonagy ◽  
Anthony Wakeling

SummaryAutonomic arousal, measured by skin conductance level and response, was examined in 36 female patients with eating disorders (anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa) and 32 control subjects. No differences were found between the control group and anorexics who lost weight solely through dieting (restricting anorexics). Patients with a diagnosis of bulimia nervosa and anorexics with bulimic features, however, showed fewer spontaneous skin conductance responses and were faster to habituate to 85 dB tones than either controls or restricting anorexic patients. The pattern of findings supports recent views concerning the clinical subdivision of anorexia nervosa.


1987 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 624-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul E. Garfinkel ◽  
David M. Garner ◽  
David S. Goldbloom

In the past decade much has been learned about the clinical features, diagnosis and understanding of people with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. In order to provide the next level of improvement in our care for these patients, our understanding of certain problems must be addressed by empirical research. Areas which require further study include the definition of high risk groups, the refinement of diagnoses, understanding factors which result in chronicity, determining the complications of chronicity and comparative evaluations of different treatments. These five areas are outlined in this article. Populations at risk for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa may be those who must be thin and achieve according to career choice, those with a particular family and personal psychiatric history; obesity and chronic medical illnesses may be further risks. Improved diagnostic understanding has occurred by the differentiation of bulimic from restricting subtypes of anorexia nervosa. Further work must determine the relationship between the bulimic subtype of anorexia nervosa and bulimia in normal weight women and to further clarify the relationship between eating disorders and affective disorders. A number of factors may result in a chronic illness. These have been described on a variety of levels. The consequences of starvation in altering an individual's thinking, feeling and behaviour do play a role. It is not clear what factors at a neurochemical level contribute to this. Elevated endogenous opiates decreased noradrenergic function and decreased serotonin may be important. Information about the chronic complications is required for clinicians to understand the broad range of difficulties that may develop over time so that clinicians may use this information in planning treatment strategies. Two examples, those of osteoporosis and the pregnant woman with an eating disorder, highlight this problem. Finally, treatment is briefly reviewed in terms of options available and the idea of developing a stepped-care approach to treatment.


2008 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 231-242
Author(s):  
Erica B. Fäldt Ciccolo

Elements of family dynamics have been shown to be related to onset, course, as well as prognosis of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The goal was to explore the experience of family relations in a group of patients with eating disorders using a projective family test. The Patient group (anorexia = 21, bulimia=16), as well as a healthy Control group, were given a projective family test, the Eating Disorder Inventory-2, as well as Karolinska Scales of Personality. The Patient group expressed more discord within the family picture than the Control group, such as cold and loveless relationships and not feeling validated. The group of patients reporting the most family discord did not show more eating disorder pathology or general psychopathology. They did, however, have higher scores on the Eating Disorder Inventory—2 subscale Maturity Fears, as well as higher values on the Karolinska Scales of Personality subscale Socialization. These results are interpreted within the background of methodological challenges in this area of research.


1995 ◽  
Vol 167 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine M. Vize ◽  
Peter J. Cooper

BackgroundA history of sexual abuse has been widely reported in patients with eating disorders. However, the association does not appear to be specific, because a high rate of such abuse has also been found in other psychiatric patients.MethodA standardised interview method was used to elicit details of sexual abuse in a psychiatrically normal control group and samples of patients with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or depression.ResultsAn equally high rate of abuse was found in all three clinical samples. Among the patients with anorexia nervosa the presence of bulimic episodes was not found to be associated with reports of abuse; and among the patients with bulimia nervosa there was no relationship between abuse and a history of anorexia nervosa. Among the patients with eating disorders, borderline personality disorder, assessed by means of self-report questionnaire, was not found to be related to reports of abuse, although there was an association between abuse and both indices of impulsive behaviour and the overall level of personality disturbance.ConclusionsChildhood sexual abuse appears to be a vulnerability factor for psychiatric disorder in general and not eating disorders in particular. The way in which abuse interacts with other aetiological factors to produce different psychopathological trajectories remains to be elucidated.


2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Youssef ◽  
B. Plancherel ◽  
J. Laget ◽  
M. Corcos ◽  
M.F. Flament ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveClinical observations and a review of the literature led us to hypothesize that certain personality and character traits could provide improved understanding, and thus improved prevention, of suicidal behaviour among young women with eating disorders.MethodThe clinical group consisted of 152 women aged between 18 and 24 years, with DSM-IV anorexia nervosa/restrictive type (AN-R = 66), anorexia nervosa/purging type (AN-P = 37), bulimia nervosa/non-purging type (BN-NP = 9), or bulimia nervosa/purging type (BN-P = 40). The control group consisted of 140 subjects. The assessment measures were the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—second version (MMPI-2) scales and subscales, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) used to control for current depressive symptoms, plus a specific questionnaire concerning suicide attempts.ResultsSuicide attempts were most frequent in subjects with purging behaviour (30.0% for BN-P and 29.7% for AN-P). Those attempting suicide among subjects with eating disorders were mostly students (67.8%). For women with AN-R the scales for ‘Depression’ and ‘Antisocial practices’ represented significant suicidal risk, for women with AN-P the scales for ‘Hysteria’, ‘Psychopathic deviate’, ‘Shyness/Self-consciousness’, ‘Antisocial Practices’, ‘Obsessiveness’ and ‘Low self-esteem’ were risk indicators and for women with BN-P the ‘Psychasthenia’, ‘Anger’ and ‘Fears’ scales were risk indicators.ConclusionThis study provides interesting results concerning the personality traits of young women with both eating disorders and suicidal behaviour. Students and those with purging behaviour are most at risk. Young women should be given more attention with regard to the risk of suicide attempts if they: (a) have AN-R with a tendency to self-punishment and antisocial conduct, (b) have AN-P with multiple physical complaints, are not at ease in social situations and have antisocial behaviour, or (c) if they have BN-P and tend to be easily angered with obsessive behaviour and phobic worries. The MMPI-2 is an interesting assessment method for the study of traits indicating a risk of suicidal behaviour in young subjects, after controlling for current depressive pathology.


2000 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 741-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rika Nakahara ◽  
Kazuhiro Yoshiuchi ◽  
Gaku Yamanaka ◽  
Tadashi Sasaki ◽  
Hiroyuki Suematsu ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to investigate coping skills in the different types of eating disorders in Japan. Groups of patients with eating disorders diagnosed with DSM-IV and 22 controls were studied. Coping skills were assessed with the Stress Coping Inventory. The mean Problem-focused coping score tended to be lower in the bulimia nervosa purging-type group ( n = 20) than in the control group. The former group and the bulimia nervosa nonpurging-type group ( n = 6) used significantly less planful problem solving and less positive reappraisal coping than the control group, while the anorexia nervosa restricting-type group of 11 tended to use less positive reappraisal, and the anorexia nervosa binge-eating/purging-type ( n = 11) tended to use less planful problem solving and less positive reappraisal than the control group. As some uses of coping skills by patients with eating disorders were lower than those of the control group, developing coping skills may be useful in treatment for eating disorders in Japan.


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