scholarly journals Exploring a core psychopathology in disordered eating: the feelings of fat scale

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yichelle Y. Zhang ◽  
Bruce D. Burns ◽  
Stephen Touyz

Abstract Background Feelings of fat are common for people with eating disorders, but ways of measuring its intensity are needed. Therefore, our goal was to develop a self-report feelings of fat scale that asked participants to indicate how intensely they currently felt statements such as “I feel fat”. With such a scale we can determine how strongly feelings of fat relate to evidence of disordered eating. Methods We conducted three studies of eating disorders with undergraduate women taking introductory psychology classes. The combined sample was 472 participants. A previous eating disorder diagnosis was self-reported by 33 participants and a current diagnosis by 11. All participants completed the EDE-Q and the seven (Study 1) or nine item (Studies 2 and 3) “State Feelings of Fat” (SFF) scales we developed. Each item asked them to rate the intensity with which they felt statements such “I feel fat” on a seven-point scale from “not at all” to “the most I have ever felt”. Results Both the seven and nine item SFF scales were highly coherent (Cronbach’s α were .94, .95 and .94), but factor analysis supported the seven-item version. We found high correlations between SFF and EDE-Q scores (Study 1: .816; Study 2: .808; Study 3: .841). SFF scores distinguished participants self-reporting no eating disorder diagnosis from those with a former diagnosis, t (361) = 2.33, p = .021, who in turn were distinguished from those with a current diagnosis, t (42) = 2.09, p = .043. Due to the high coherence of the scale, the single item “I feel fat” captured most of the variance in EDE-Q scores (r [472] = .793). Conclusions We have constructed an eating disorders relevant feelings of fat scale. Given that the EDE-Q is considered a valid questionnaire for measuring severity of eating disorders, our findings suggests that feelings of fat are core to the psychopathology of eating disorders. To the extent that EDE-Q scores are stable it also suggests that feelings of fat are surprisingly stable. Furthermore, the single item “I feel fat” alone may capture most of what the EDE-Q measures.

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 214-227
Author(s):  
Chloe C. Hudson ◽  
Brad A. Mac Neil

We explored whether a single-item self-report measure (i.e., the Readiness Ruler) was an appropriate measure of treatment engagement in adult outpatients with eating disorders. In total, 108 women diagnosed with an eating disorder completed the Readiness Ruler and measures of symptom severity at intake to a hospital-based outpatient treatment program. Treatment engagement was operationalized as attendance to a minimum of one session of a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) treatment group, the number of CBT group sessions attended, and whether the participants dropped out of the CBT group prematurely. Results suggest that the Readiness Ruler was not associated with attending the CBT group. Among the participants who attended the program, the Readiness Ruler was not associated with the number of CBT group sessions attended or CBT group dropout. Higher Readiness Ruler score was associated with more severe symptomatology. In conclusion, the Readiness Ruler may not be a good predictor of CBT group treatment engagement for individuals with eating disorders and may instead be a proxy for symptom severity.


2021 ◽  
pp. 135910532098688
Author(s):  
Marta de Lourdes ◽  
Ana Pinto-Bastos ◽  
Paulo PP Machado ◽  
Eva Conceição

This study explored the associations between individuals presenting different problematic eating behaviors (Objective/Subjective binge-eating—OBE/SBE—and Compulsive/Non-compulsive grazing—C_Grazing/NC_Grazing) and eating disorder related symptoms. About 163 pre- and 131 post-bariatric patients were assessed. Assessment included: Face-to-face clinical interview to assess binge-eating and grazing episodes, and self-report measures to assess eating disorder symptomatology, psychological distress, and negative urgency. OBE and NC_Grazing were the problematic eating behaviors most and least associated with psychopathology, respectively. OBE and C_Grazing uniquely accounted for the significant variance in the most disordered eating variables. Our findings emphasize the need for the conceptualization of grazing behavior in the spectrum of disordered eating.


Author(s):  
Danyale McCurdy-McKinnon ◽  
Jamie D. Feusner

This chapter addresses the comorbid presentation of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and disordered eating. BDD affects approximately 2% of the population and involves perceived defects of appearance along with obsessive preoccupation and repetitive, compulsive-like behaviors. The prevalence of comorbid BDD and eating disorders is high: Approximately one–third of those with BDD will have a comorbid eating disorder, and almost half of those with an eating disorder will have comorbid BDD. There are complicating diagnostic and treatment factors that arise when an individual experiences both. A core feature of these disorders is body image concern, which may be explained by both shared and unique aberrancies in visual and visuospatial processing that have neurobiological underpinnings. Understanding shared and unique pathophysiology may help inform and guide treatment, as well as open up lines of future research into their etiology.


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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Hetty Krisnani ◽  
Meilanny Budiarti Santoso ◽  
Destin Putri

ABSTRAKMasa remaja merupakan masa perubahan dramatis dalam diri seseorang. Salah satu perubahan yang terjadi adalah perubahan komposisi tubuh, terutama akumulasi lemak tubuh pada remaja puteri. Dengan adanya akumulasi lemak tubuh tersebut, ada anggapan bahwa mereka tidak memiliki tubuh semenarik yang diinginkan. Hal ini akan mendorong remaja puteri mencari jalan keluar agar memiliki tampilan fisik yang ideal, salah satunya adalah dengan melakukan perubahan kebiasaan makan yang umumnya menyimpang. Kebiasaan makan yang tidak benar itu dapat mengakibatkan terjadinya gangguan makan atau eating disorder yang dapat berdampak buruk bagi remaja. Eating disorders (ED) merupakan gangguan mental yang meskipun berhubungan dengan pola makan dan berat badan, gangguan tersebut bukanlah mengenai makanan, tetapi mengenai perasaan dan ekspresi diri. Pada umumnya, penderita ED adalah mereka yang memiliki kepercayaan diri rendah. Terdapat dua macam ED, yaitu anorexia nervosa dan bulimia nervosa. Kedua gangguan tersebut mempunyai tujuan yang sama, yaitu menguruskan badan. ABSTRACTAdolescence is a time of dramatic change in a person. One of the changes that occur are changes in body composition, especially the accumulation of body fat in girls. Given the accumulation of body fat, there is the assumption that they do not have a body as attractive as desired. This will encourage the girls find a way out in order to have the ideal physical appearance, one is to change eating habits are generally distorted. Improper eating habits can result in eating disorders or disordered eating can be bad for teens. Eating disorders (ED) is a mental disorder even though associated with diet and weight, the disorder is not about food, but about feelings and self-expression. In general, patients with ED are those who have low confidence. There are two kinds of ED, namely anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Both of these disorders have the same goal, which is to lose weight.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Gerges ◽  
Sahar Obeid ◽  
Souheil Hallit

Abstract Background Lately, there has been an upsurge in the prevalence of eating disorders (including anorexia, bulimia, orthorexia and recently, pregorexia), mainly due to changes in sociocultural factors. Pregnancy may serve as a propitious basis for the flourishing of “Pregorexia”: a notion of popular psychology designating a newly emerging eating disorder. Bannatyne et al. generated a brief pregnancy-specific instrument in furtherance of screening for antenatal eating disorders: the DEAPS (Disordered Eating Attitudes in Pregnancy Scale), which demonstrated a high level of internal consistency and good validity. Our study's objective was to linguistically validate and examine the reliability and psychometric properties of the Arabic version of this previously established pregnancy-specific scale among Lebanese pregnant women. Methods We conceived and implemented a cross-sectional survey between June and July 2021 (N = 433). The sample was randomly divided in two as per the SPSS data selection option; the first was used to conduct the DEAPS items factor analysis, whereas the second was used for the confirmatory analysis. Multiple indices of goodness-of-fit were described: the Relative Chi-square (χ2/df), Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA), Tucker Lewis Index (TLI) and Comparative Fit Index (CFI). Results A factor analysis was conducted on Sample 1 (N = 207) chosen randomly from the original sample. With the exception of item 8, all other items converged over a two-factor solution (Factor 1: Self-Objectification (Body Control, Body Shame and Esteem) and Factor 2: Pregorexia), explaining a total variance of 39.3%. In sample 2 (N = 226), the one-factor model (Factor 2) that derived from the factor analysis conducted on sample 1, fitted well accordingly to CFI, TLI and χ2/df values, but fitted modestly according to RMSEA. The estimates obtained for Models 1 (original scale) and 2 (according to the two-factor solution obtained from the FA in sample 1) fitted less than the third model. The results showed that 28 (6.6%) of the participants were at risk of having disordered eating during pregnancy, whereas 25 (5.8%) had possible presence of disordered eating. Conclusion This study was able to show that the A-DEAPS seems to be a good and reliable tool for the assessment of disordered eating among Lebanese pregnant women.


Author(s):  
Sarah Nutter

Embodiment and the Treatment of Eating Disorders: The Body as a Resource in Recovery by Catherine Cook-Cottone provides over its 13 chapters a theoretical framework and practice recommendations for infusing embodiment in eating disorder treatment via her Embodied Approach to Treating Eating Disorders model. Part 1 of the book provides an overview of the model and Part 2 provides a framework for integrating the model into treatment, using several aspects of embodiment. Cook-Cottone includes numerous resources in the book to support counsellors in integrating this model into practice. For clinicians working with clients struggling with disordered eating or eating disorders, Cook-Cottone’s book provides an engaging addition to eating disorders treatment.


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