Emotion Dysregulation and Eating Disorders

Author(s):  
Sarah E. Racine ◽  
Sarah A. Horvath

This chapter reviews evidence for the role of emotion dysregulation in the etiology and maintenance of eating disorders. It examines theoretical models that describe functional relations between emotions and eating disorder behaviors. Data from self-report questionnaire studies, ecological momentary assessment, and experimental research designs are considered, with a focus on identifying similarities and differences in emotion dysregulation across eating disorders. The chapter concludes by describing a model in which stable (i.e., trait) emotion regulation difficulties increase the likelihood of using maladaptive strategies, such as eating disorder behaviors, to regulate emotions. Future work must identify factors that predict whether someone will express trait emotion dysregulation as an eating disorder versus another psychiatric disorder, and whether emotion dysregulation maintains eating disorders and can be targeted in treatment.

Author(s):  
Nora Trompeter ◽  
Kay Bussey ◽  
Miriam K. Forbes ◽  
Phillipa Hay ◽  
Mandy Goldstein ◽  
...  

AbstractEmotion dysregulation has been posited as a key transdiagnostic factor of mental health difficulties, including eating disorders. However, how this transdiagnostic factor interacts with the disorder-specific factor of weight and shape concerns remains unclear. The current study examined whether emotion dysregulation is associated with eating disorder behaviors over and above the association between weight and shape concerns and whether these two factors interacted. The current study used data from two samples, a community sample of high school students (n = 2699), and a clinical sample of adolescents receiving outpatient treatment for an eating disorder (n = 149). Participants completed self-report measures on their eating behaviors, weight/shape concerns, and emotion dysregulation. Findings showed that emotion dysregulation had a unique association with engaging in binge eating and purging (community sample only). Weight and shape concerns were found to have a unique association with engaging in binge eating, fasting, purging, and driven exercise (community sample only). Additionally, weight and shape concerns moderated the association between emotion dysregulation and the probability of engaging in binge eating and driven exercise, whereby the strongest association between emotion dysregulation and these behaviors were observed among adolescents with the lowest levels of weight and shape concerns. Regarding the frequency of eating disorder behaviors, emotion dysregulation had a unique association with severity of binge eating and fasting. Weight and shape concerns were uniquely associated with severity of fasting and driven exercise (community sample only). Findings suggest that emotion dysregulation is a distinct factor of eating disorder behaviors among adolescents.


2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph A. Wonderlich ◽  
Jason M. Lavender ◽  
Stephen A. Wonderlich ◽  
Carol B. Peterson ◽  
Scott J. Crow ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Drew A. Anderson ◽  
Joseph Donahue ◽  
Lauren E. Ehrlich ◽  
Sasha Gorrell

Clinicians and researchers have several approaches with which to assess eating disorder and related symptomatology, including interviews, self-report instruments, and behavioral measures. The purpose of this chapter is to describe a process, based on a functional approach, that will help assessors to develop assessments and choose instruments for eating disorders and eating-related problems. This approach takes into account both theoretical and practical concerns and allows assessors to individualize their assessments depending on their particular needs. This process starts with broad considerations about the context in which the assessment is to be given and ends with the choice of specific instruments to be used.


1998 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 507-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose Geist ◽  
Ron Davis ◽  
Margus Heinmaa

Objective: To identify the diagnostic subtypes of eating disorders (EDs), the psychiatric comorbid diagnoses, and associated specific and nonspecific psychopathology in a series of 120 adolescents undergoing standardized assessment for an ED. Method: Consecutive patients referred to our large pediatric hospital for ED assessment completed a semistructured diagnostic interview for children and adolescents. The following self-report scales were administered to assess specific and nonspecific psychopathology: the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), the Eating Disorder Inventory 2 (EDI-2), and the Family Assessment Measure (FAM-III) of family functioning. Results: Female subjects with a mean age of 14.5 years and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 18.1 comprised 93% of the sample. The restrictive subtypes of anorexia nervosa (AN) (43%) and eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) (16%) were the most common diagnoses. Patients with restricting symptoms (R) could be grouped together because they were more similar to each other with respect to self-report symptoms of psychopathology than they were to patients with binge/purge (B/P) symptoms and vice versa. Patients with R endorsed significantly fewer subjective symptoms, both ED-specific and nonspecific, and rated their families' functioning better than did B/P patients. Comorbid, current major depressive disorders and dysthymic disorders occurred in 66% of subjects, but depressive, dysthymic, and oppositional disorders occurred in 96% of those with B/P symptoms. Severity of the CDI was the best single discriminator between R and B/P subjects. Conclusions: Adolescents with EDs in the early stage of their illness are similar to adults with EDs in the following ways: they meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria for subtypes of EDs (excluding amenorrhea) and commonly have comorbid psychiatric disorders, especially depressive disorders. Patients with B/P symptoms can be distinguished from restricting subjects because they endorse significantly more ED-specific and nonspecific psychopathology and have a higher frequency of comorbid Axis I diagnoses (especially depressive disorders) than restricting patients. Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) occurs more commonly in adolescents with EDs associated with B/P symptoms.


2021 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 101562
Author(s):  
Rachael E. Flatt ◽  
Elliott Norman ◽  
Laura M. Thornton ◽  
Ellen E. Fitzsimmons-Craft ◽  
Katherine N. Balantekin ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myra J. Cooper ◽  
Phil Cowen

This study aimed to identify differences in the personal themes in negative self or core beliefs that might be characteristic of high levels of eating disorder symptoms when compared to high levels of depressive symptoms in those with an eating disorder and/or depression. Differences between putative diagnostic subgroups were also examined. One hundred and ninety-three participants completed self-report measures of negative self-beliefs, eating, and depressive symptoms. Putative diagnostic subgroups were also identified, including an eating disorder group that also had high levels of depressive symptomatology and in most cases a diagnosis of depression. Six themes descriptive of the self corresponding to 6 robust factors were identified and provisionally labeled isolated, repelled by self, self-dislike, lacking in warmth, childlike, and highly organized. Multiple regression analyses indicated that, in the whole sample, eating disorder symptoms were uniquely predicted by subscales reflective of repelled by self and lacking in warmth, though depressive symptoms were uniquely predicted by subscales measuring isolation and self-dislike. Between-group analyses indicated that high scores on isolation, self-dislike, and lacking in warmth were typical of both eating-disordered and depressed-only diagnostic groups when compared to the control group, though only the eating-disordered group (also high in depressive symptoms and “diagnosis” of depression) also had high scores on repelled by self. The findings indicate that eating disorder and depressive symptoms are associated with some potentially important differences in self-beliefs. Putative diagnostic subgroups may also differ in these beliefs. The findings further indicate that psychometrically sound themes exist in the core or negative self-beliefs associated with eating disorder and depressive symptoms. Implications of the findings for cognitive therapy with eating disorders and depression are briefly considered, and the limitations and implications of the diagnostic subgroups identified here are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Frances Haynos ◽  
Kelsey E. Hagan

Researchers have long grappled to understand the persistence of behaviors that are non-hedonic and, ostensibly, aversive. At times, such behaviors can be taken to excess in the form of psychopathology. Eating disorders characterize a prototype of psychiatric disorders in which behaviors that most people find unpleasant (e.g., restrictive eating, excessive exercise) are rigidly and repeatedly performed. The learned industriousness theory, which has roots in behavioral neuroscience, provides a theoretical account for such phenomena. Informed by humans and animal data, this theory posits that effort (intense physical or mental activity) can be conditioned to acquire secondary rewarding properties through repeatedly pairing high-effort behavior with reward. Over time, effort sensations would become less aversive and more appetitive because they signal impending reward, increasing eagerness to engage in effortful behavior. In this manuscript we: 1) review biobehavioral data supporting learned industriousness; 2) highlight evidence that this theory may account for persistence of certain eating disorder behaviors; and 3) consider clinical and research implications of this model, including the translation to other psychiatric presentations.


Author(s):  
Mohammad Reza Khodabakhsh ◽  
Seyed Hesam Ahmadian Hoseini

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder which starts from childhood and early juvenility and can even continue until adolescence. It is noticeable with three factors: hyperactivity, attention inability, and Impulsivity. Researches have demonstrated that the main symptoms of ADHD is also present in patients diagnosed with eating disorders. The goal of the present study is to investigate the relationship of Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and eating disorders in adults.The present study is a correlational study with a cross sectional descriptive method. The sample contains of 150 people chosen from adults using random sampling method. All of the participants answered the Eating attitudes scale (Garner and Garfinkel, 1982) and the Adult ADHD self-report scale (world health organization, 1994). The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and Spearman correlation coefficient.Considering the result of current study it can be said that ADHD and Eating disorders are related to one another, because based on the evidence gathered, these two variables have similar neurobiological properties and clinical features, and thus ADHD has the ability of eating disorder occurrence anticipation.   Keyword: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Diet;  Eating disorder; Impulsivity


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