Recovery from anorexia nervosa: the influence of women’s sociocultural milieux

2021 ◽  
pp. 103985622110107
Author(s):  
Stephen Allison ◽  
Megan Warin ◽  
Tarun Bastiampillai ◽  
Jeffrey C L Looi ◽  
Mattias Strand
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Family Formation ◽  
Social Withdrawal ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Partial Recovery ◽  
Gradual Process ◽  
Beauty Ideal ◽  
Meaningful Relationships

Objective: Young women living in industrialised westernised societies have a higher prevalence of anorexia nervosa, partly due to a cultural emphasis on thinness as a beauty ideal. Sociocultural milieux might promote recovery from anorexia nervosa amongst young women. The current article is a commentary about the social influences on recovery from anorexia nervosa – based on social anthropology, narratives of people with lived experience, and clinical studies. Conclusion: Anorexia nervosa increases social withdrawal, and recovery leads to re-engagement with meaningful relationships. Recovery also empowers women as ‘cultural critics’ who challenge assumptions about the thinness beauty ideal and gender roles. The gradual process of full or partial recovery often occurs during emerging adulthood (aged 20–29). In this life stage, adolescent friendship groups are dissolving as women move from education to work, reducing the danger of weight-based teasing by peers, which is an environmental risk factor for disordered eating. Women recovering from anorexia nervosa may connect with those aspirations of peers and mentors that eschew a focus on weight and shape, but relate to the life-stage tasks of starting careers, beginning new friendships, selecting life partners and family formation – that is, a broader role in larger relationship networks.

scholarly journals Critical incidents in anorexia nervosa: perspectives of those with a lived experience

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenni Leppanen ◽  
Lara Tosunlar ◽  
Rachael Blackburn ◽  
Steven Williams ◽  
Kate Tchanturia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Disease Model ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Critical Events ◽  
Social Emotional

Abstract Background Although social-emotional difficulties are believed play a key role in anorexia nervosa (AN), there is uncertainty regarding what these difficulties might look like. Previous research has largely focused on a “disease model” of social-emotional processing in AN with little attention paid to positive emotions and experiences. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to obtain a fuller picture of critical life events as identified by those with lived AN experience. Methods Thirty-four participants aged 16–48 with current or past AN completed an online survey describing self-defined positive and difficult critical events. Thematic analysis was used to assess patterns in participants narrative responses. Results Two major themes were identified in the descriptions of positive critical events: Moments of celebration and Unexpected positive outcomes. These major themes revealed increased external focus and some corrective experiences that challenged the participants pre-existing expectations leading to new positive outcomes. Difficult events clustered into life events that were identified as Eating disorder (ED) related and Non-ED related and included the dimensions of relational conflict and feeling unsupported. Discussion The findings suggest that although negative emotionality was identified in the accounts of those with lived experience of AN capacity for “big-picture” thinking with and explicit focus on others was also identified. Moreover, an openness to corrective experiences that worked to challenge negative expectations was evident for some participants. Together these findings have scope as targets for further clinical research and treatment interventions.

scholarly journals The neural correlates of a central coherence task in young women with anorexia nervosa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Leslie ◽  
Daniel Halls ◽  
Jenni Leppanen ◽  
Felicity Sedgewick ◽  
Katie Lang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Central Coherence

scholarly journals Incidence of anorexia nervosa in young people in the UK and Ireland: a national surveillance study

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. e027339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hristina Petkova ◽  
Mima Simic ◽  
Dasha Nicholls ◽  
Tamsin Ford ◽  
A Matthew Prina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Young People ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Adolescent Mental Health ◽  
Child And Adolescent ◽  
Surveillance Study ◽  
The Uk

ObjectivesThis study aimed to estimate the incidence of DSM5 anorexia nervosa in young people in contact with child and adolescent mental health services in the UK and Ireland.DesignObservational, surveillance study, using the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Surveillance System, involving monthly reporting by child and adolescent psychiatrists between 1st February 2015 and 30th September 2015.SettingThe study was based in the UK and Ireland.ParticipantsClinician-reported data on young people aged 8–17 in contact with child and adolescent mental health services for a first episode of anorexia nervosa.Main outcome measuresAnnual incidence rates (IRs) estimated as confirmed new cases per 100 000 population at risk.Results305 incident cases of anorexia nervosa were reported over the 8-month surveillance period and assessed as eligible for inclusion. The majority were young women (91%), from England (70%) and of white ethnicity (92%). Mean age was 14.6 years (±1.66) and mean percentage of median expected body mass index for age and sex was 83.23% (±10.99%). The overall IR, adjusted for missing data, was estimated to be 13.68 per 100 000 population (95% CI 12.88 to 14.52), with rates of 25.66 (95% CI 24.09 to 27.30) for young women and 2.28 (95% CI 1.84 to 2.79) for young men. Incidence increased steadily with age, peaking at 15 (57.77, 95% CI 50.41 to 65.90) for young women and 16 (5.14, 95% CI 3.20 to 7.83) for young men. Comparison with earlier estimates suggests IRs for children aged 12 and under have increased over the last 10 years.ConclusionThese results provide new estimates of the incidence of anorexia nervosa in young people. Service providers and commissioners should consider evidence to suggest an increase in incidence in younger children.Trial registration numberISRCTN12676087.

scholarly journals Neural Correlates of Theory of Mind Are Preserved in Young Women With Anorexia Nervosa

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Leslie ◽  
Daniel Halls ◽  
Jenni Leppanen ◽  
Felicity Sedgewick ◽  
Katherine Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Neural Basis

People with anorexia nervosa (AN) commonly exhibit social difficulties, which may be related to problems with understanding the perspectives of others, commonly known as Theory of Mind (ToM) processing. However, there is a dearth of literature investigating the neural basis of these differences in ToM and at what age they emerge. This study aimed to test for differences in the neural correlates of ToM processes in young women with AN, and young women weight-restored (WR) from AN, as compared to healthy control participants (HC). Based on previous findings in AN, we hypothesized that young women with current or prior AN, as compared to HCs, would exhibit a reduced neural response in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the inferior frontal gyrus, and the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) whilst completing a ToM task. We recruited 73 young women with AN, 45 WR young women, and 70 young women without a history of AN to take part in the current study. Whilst undergoing a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan, participants completed the Frith-Happé task, which is a commonly used measure of ToM with demonstrated reliability and validity in adult populations. In this task, participants viewed the movements of triangles, which depicted either action movements, simple interactions, or complex social interactions. Viewing trials with more complex social interactions in the Frith-Happé task was associated with increased brain activation in regions including the right TPJ, the bilateral mPFC, the cerebellum, and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. There were no group differences in neural activation in response to the ToM contrast. Overall, these results suggest that the neural basis of spontaneous mentalizing is preserved in most young women with AN.

scholarly journals Specific Effects of Anorexia Nervosa and Obesity on Bone Mineral Density and Bone Turnover in Young Women

2019 ◽  
Vol 105 (4) ◽  
pp. e1536-e1548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Maïmoun ◽  
Patrick Garnero ◽  
Thibault Mura ◽  
David Nocca ◽  
Patrick Lefebvre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bone Mineral Density ◽  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Bone Formation ◽  
Bone Turnover ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Bone Turnover Markers ◽  
The Other ◽  
Mineral Density ◽  
Turnover Markers ◽  
Markers Of Bone Formation

Abstract Objective The threefold aim was to (1) compare areal bone mineral density (aBMD), bone turnover markers, and periostin levels in young women with either anorexia nervosa (AN) or obesity (OB) and controls (CON); (2) model the profiles according to age; and (3) determine the parameters associated with aBMD. Subjects and Methods One hundred and fifty-two young women with ages ranging from 16.0 to 27.0 years were subdivided into 3 groups (AN, OB, CON). The CON group was age-matched by ±6 months. aBMD, bone turnover markers, and periostin levels were evaluated. Results aBMD modeling showed that hip aBMD was higher in OB than in the other 2 groups from 19 years, and AN presented lower values than CON from 21 years. aBMD at the lumbar spine was higher in older OB and CON women, starting from 20 to 22 years, but in AN the difference with the other 2 groups increased with age. Periostin levels were lower in OB than in AN or CON, but no variation with age was observed. Compared with controls, OB and AN presented similarly lower markers of bone formation, although markers of bone resorption were lower in OB and higher in AN. A modeling approach showed that markers of bone formation and resorption were lower in older than in younger CON, whereas the values of these bone markers remained relatively constant in AN and OB. In all groups, lean body mass (LBM) was the parameter most positively correlated with aBMD. Conclusion This study demonstrated that weight extremes (AN or OB) influence aBMD, bone remodeling and periostin profiles. Moreover, factors related to aBMD were specific to each condition, but LBM was the parameter most consistently associated with aBMD.

scholarly journals Changes in appetite-regulating hormones following food intake are associated with changes in reported appetite and a measure of hedonic eating in girls and young women with anorexia nervosa

2020 ◽  
Vol 113 ◽  
pp. 104556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Mancuso ◽  
Alyssa Izquierdo ◽  
Meghan Slattery ◽  
Kendra R. Becker ◽  
Franziska Plessow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Young Women

scholarly journals Family formation: A positive outcome for vulnerable young women?

2016 ◽  
Vol 67 ◽  
pp. 57-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vered Ben-David ◽  
Melissa Jonson-Reid ◽  
Charlotte Bright ◽  
Brett Drake
Keyword(s):  
Young Women ◽  
Family Formation ◽  
Positive Outcome

Depression influences the EDI scores in anorexia nervosa patients

2003 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 119-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantal Bizeul ◽  
Jean Marcel Brun ◽  
Daniel Rigaud
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Major Depression ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Interpersonal Relations ◽  
Severe Depression ◽  
Body Image Dissatisfaction ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Severity Of Depression

AbstractAimTo study the influence of the severity of depression on the eating disorder’s inventory (EDI) scores in anorexia nervosa (AN) patients.MethodsWe compared by variance analysis the EDI scores from three groups of AN patients: 55 patients having a major depression (as assessed by a Beck’s depression inventory (BDI) ≥ 16); 77 patients having a less severe depression (BDI < 16); 32 patients with mild or non-existent depression (BDI ≤ 7) and the EDI scores from a control group of 29 French healthy young women.ResultsHigher EDI scores were elicited in the more severely depressed AN patients than in the less- or non-depressed AN patients (P < 0.01). In non-depressed AN patients, none of the scores was different from those of the control group. This was particularly true for the scores “Slimness wish”, “bulimia”, “body image dissatisfaction”, “perfectionism” and “fear of maturity”. The non-depressed restrictive AN patients had no score which differ from healthy controls.DiscussionsThe present results suggested that the EDI scores are clearly influenced by the severity of depression. Among the psychopathological and behavioural traits assessed with the EDI, only a few were not related to depressive symptoms: “feeling of inefficiency” and “distrust in interpersonal relations”.

scholarly journals Relational Distressed and Maternal Absence: Young Women's Lived Experience of Familial Breast Cancer

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 200-222
Author(s):  
Nicole Johnson ◽  
Janice Pascal
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Familial Breast Cancer ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
Loss And Grief ◽  
Permanent Loss ◽  
Cancer Experience

Young women growing up within the context of familial breast cancer are faced with significant psychosocial challenges. The most profound of these are the temporary absence, and permanent loss, of their mothers. Eighteen young women (aged 18–34) from rural Victoria (Australia), with family histories of breast cancer, were interviewed for this study. The data were analyzed using hermeneutic Heideggerian phenomenology to explore their lived experiences. Our findings reveal the long term and pervasive consequences of relational distress associated with the temporary and permanent loss of mothers. This distress is experienced through disruptions to developmental attachment and embodied and biographical identity. We highlight how familial breast cancer extends beyond genetic inheritance to encompass the relational distress of loss and grief. We conclude by highlighting the importance of considering the ways in which temporality, self-identity, and daughters' ways of seeing themselves are significantly altered by their mothers' cancer experience.

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