Functional assessment of restrictive eating: A three-study transdiagnostic investigation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirley B Wang ◽  
Kathryn Fox ◽  
Chelsea Evanna Boccagno ◽  
D.Phil. Jill Miranda Hooley ◽  
Patrick Mair ◽  
...  

Restrictive eating is common across the lifespan and eating disorder (ED) severity levels, and associated with negative psychological outcomes. Little is known about functional processes that maintain restriction. Here, we extend research on four-function models (identifying automatic negative, automatic positive, social negative, and social positive reinforcement functions) that have previously been applied to nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), binge eating, and purging to restricting. We assessed restrictive eating functions in three samples: transdiagnostic adolescents (Study 1: N=457), transdiagnostic adults (Study 2: N=145), and adults with acute or weight-restored anorexia nervosa (Study 3: N=38). Study 1 indicated the four-function model was a good fit for restricting (RMSEA=0.06, TLI=0.88). This factor structure replicated across Studies 2 (CFI=0.97, RMSEA=0.07, TLI=0.97, SRMR=0.09) and 3 (CFI=0.99, RMSEA=0.06, TLI=0.99, SRMR=0.14). Unlike NSSI, binge eating, and purging, which have been found to primarily serve automatic negative reinforcement functions, all three present studies found automatic positive reinforcement was most highly endorsed (by up to 85% of participants). In Studies 1 and 3, automatic functions were associated with poorer emotion regulation (ps<.05). In Study 1, social functions were associated with less social support (ps<.001). Across studies, automatic functions were associated with greater restriction ps<.05). Functions varied slightly by ED diagnosis. Across ED presentation, severity, and developmental stage, restrictive eating may be largely maintained by automatic positive reinforcement, with some variability across presentations. Continued examination of restrictive eating functions will establish processes that maintain restriction, allowing more precise treatment targeting for these problematic behaviors.

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 553-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey N. Weatherly ◽  
Joseph C. Miller ◽  
Heather K. Terrell

An attempt was made to modify the Gambling Functional Assessment (GFA), which was proposed to identify four possible contingencies maintaining the respondent’s gambling behavior. However, previous research found that it only identified two contingencies (i.e., positive vs. negative reinforcement), with some items cross-loading on both contingencies and one not loading at all. A total of 1,060 undergraduate students completed a revised version of the GFA containing 22 items. Exploratory factor analyses conducted on a random selection of half of the participants led to a two-factor solution (positive and negative reinforcement) for 16 of the items that strongly loaded on the two factors. Confirmatory factor analyses conducted using structural equation modeling on the data from the other half of the sample confirmed the two-factor model. The GFA–Revised consists of 16 items, 8 each measuring positive and negative reinforcement contingencies. Although this revised measure cleanly parses the two contingencies, the data indicate that gambling maintained by positive reinforcement is more frequent than gambling maintained by negative reinforcement. This outcome will make directly comparing the two contingencies difficult, especially given that evidence suggests that gambling maintained by negative reinforcement is more strongly associated with pathology than gambling maintained by positive reinforcement.


2015 ◽  
pp. 35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie B. Thomas ◽  
Adam Derenne ◽  
Jeffrey N. Weatherly

The current study investigated the relationship between two forms of discounting (delay and probability) and two measures of factors that may maintain gambling behavior (behavioral contingencies and expectancies). Participants (272 undergraduates) completed discounting questions for scenarios of gaining or losing $1,000 or $100,000 with uncertain or delayed outcomes. They also filled out the South Oaks Gambling Screen, the Gambling Functional Assessment -Revised, and the Gambling Expectancies Questionnaire. Results showed that gambling for positive reinforcement was consistently the best predictor of discounting, suggesting that the function of gambling behavior may be a better predictor of discounting than are the emotional expectancies of gambling. However, the direction of the relationship was inconsistent, with function negatively predicting discounting of both uncertain gains and losses. No consistent relationship was found between discounting and gambling for negative reinforcement or emotional expectancies. Results were generally the same when non-gamblers were excluded from the analyses. The results suggest that studying gambling function may be an informative pursuit.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ritika Singh ◽  
Sabeen Rizvi

Abstract Background Self-injurious thoughts and behaviours (SITBs) include a spectrum of self-harming behaviours that an individual may choose to engage in - one such behaviour is labelled as Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI). The current study was carried out to assess the epidemiological factors associated with NSSI, regarded as a clinical disorder included under the Conditions for Further Study in the DSM-5, and to explore its association with borderline personality traits. Additionally, it also aimed at assessing the reasons why individuals indulge in SITBs. Methods Inclusion criteria for the participants were age 18–24 (in years) and provision of written informed consent to participate in the research. The Alexian Brothers Assessment of Self-Injury, McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder, and Self-Injurious Thoughts Behaviours Interview were used as the clinical assessment tools. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics (mean and SD), along with a qualitative measure to explore the themes associated with SITBs. Results Participants included 123 (female − 72.35%) young adults (age in years: M = 21.26, SD = 3.67), selected with purposive sampling. 51.21% (female n = 51; age in years: M = 21.03, SD = 1.55) of the total participants endorsed NSSI behaviour, and among them, 39.68% reported having suicidal ideation at least once in their lifetime. Further, the study revealed that participants who endorsed SITBs scored high on MSI-BPD, suggesting an association between the two. 22.22% met the diagnostic criteria of NSSI Disorder under DSM-5. Engagement in SITBs was found to be motivated by automatic negative and positive reinforcement, social negative reinforcement, and self-punishment. Lastly, cognitive appraisal of circumstances acts as a primary precipitant to SITBs. This study draws attention on the alarming ubiquity of SITBs and the similar factors associated with it in many countries of the world. Conclusions The study reiterates emphasis on the notion that adolescents are incredibly vulnerable to adapting harmful mechanisms to cope with their struggles. The research indicates high prevalence rates of different forms of SITBs in the general population and the risk at which self-harming individuals operate.


Crisis ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Bloom ◽  
Shareen Holly ◽  
Adam M. P. Miller

Background: Historically, the field of self-injury has distinguished between the behaviors exhibited among individuals with a developmental disability (self-injurious behaviors; SIB) and those present within a normative population (nonsuicidal self-injury; NSSI),which typically result as a response to perceived stress. More recently, however, conclusions about NSSI have been drawn from lines of animal research aimed at examining the neurobiological mechanisms of SIB. Despite some functional similarity between SIB and NSSI, no empirical investigation has provided precedent for the application of SIB-targeted animal research as justification for pharmacological interventions in populations demonstrating NSSI. Aims: The present study examined this question directly, by simulating an animal model of SIB in rodents injected with pemoline and systematically manipulating stress conditions in order to monitor rates of self-injury. Methods: Sham controls and experimental animals injected with pemoline (200 mg/kg) were assigned to either a low stress (discriminated positive reinforcement) or high stress (discriminated avoidance) group and compared on the dependent measures of self-inflicted injury prevalence and severity. Results: The manipulation of stress conditions did not impact the rate of self-injury demonstrated by the rats. The results do not support a model of stress-induced SIB in rodents. Conclusions: Current findings provide evidence for caution in the development of pharmacotherapies of NSSI in human populations based on CNS stimulant models. Theoretical implications are discussed with respect to antecedent factors such as preinjury arousal level and environmental stress.


2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Smyth ◽  
S. A. Wonderlich ◽  
K. E. Heron ◽  
M. J. Sliwinski ◽  
R. D. Crosby ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 413-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lies Depestele ◽  
Laurence Claes ◽  
Eva Dierckx ◽  
Imke Baetens ◽  
Katrien Schoevaerts ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. W. Chase ◽  
M. J. Frank ◽  
A. Michael ◽  
E. T. Bullmore ◽  
B. J. Sahakian ◽  
...  

BackgroundCentral to understanding of the behavioural consequences of depression has been the theory that the disorder is accompanied by an increased sensitivity to negative compared with positive reinforcement (negative bias), whereas other theorists have emphasized a global reduction in sensitivity to reinforcement in depression (blunting).MethodIn this study, we used a probabilistic selection task that was designed to examine independently rates of learning to predict both positive and negative reinforcement. Twenty-three depressed out-patients and 23 healthy controls from the local population participated in the study.ResultsNo evidence for a negative bias was observed on the task, either during acquisition of the task or during generalization of the learned information. Depressed patients responded slower on the task than controls but showed a similar modulation of reaction times (RTs) as controls following reinforcement. Evidence for blunting was observed on the training phase, as reflected in reduced trial-by-trial adjustment during this phase. However, this effect was related specifically to the severity of anhedonia, as measured by the Snaith–Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS), and was independent of overall depression severity.ConclusionsWe argue that the observation of a negative bias or blunting in a group of depressed patients may be dependent on the neuropsychological task and the symptoms of the patients tested. Our results provide insight into how these theories might be further tested.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salome Adelia Wilfred ◽  
Carolyn Black Becker ◽  
Kathryn E Kanzler ◽  
Nicolas Musi ◽  
Sara E Espinoza ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundEmerging research indicates that older women struggle with binge eating (BE; consuming unusually large amounts of food in one siting while feeling a loss of control) more frequently than once thought. Yet, health correlates of BE in older adult populations are poorly understood. The original goal of the study was to investigate BE prevalence, frequency, and health correlates in a sample of older adult women. Following surprising findings in this first study, we then aimed to replicate findings in two additional samples of older adult women. MethodUsing self-reported frequencies of BE from three separate samples of older women with very different demographics, we compared BE prevalence, frequency, and health correlates among older women. Study 1 (N = 185) includes data collected online (86% White; 59% overweight/obese status). Study 2 (N = 64) was conducted in person at a local food pantry (65% Hispanic; 47% household income < $10,000/year). Study 3 (N = 100) comprises data collected online (72% White; 50% Masters/Doctoral Degree). ResultsPer DSM-5 frequency criterion of BE at least weekly, we found prevalence rates ranging from 19%-26% across the three samples. Correlates of BE frequency included elevated negative mood, worry, BMI, and less nutritious food consumption. ConclusionsAcross three very different samples in terms of race/ethnicity, education, food security status, measurements, and sampling methodology, we found fairly consistent rates of self-reported BE at least weekly (19-26%). BE is related to negative outcomes among older women, supporting the need for more research in this population.


Majority of smokers who begin smoking as adolescents are at risk for developing smoking patterns. Misperception has contributed that smokers underestimate the risks related with smoking. The aim of this study was to identify the gender differences in adolescents’ perception about smokers based on four factors. A total of 863 respondents consist of 302 male (age 21.2 ± 0.56 year) and 562 female (age 20.9 ± 0.66 year) were participated in this study. They were asked to complete a Short-Form Smoking Consequences Questionnaire (S-SCQ) in this study. The result showed female adolescence reported significantly higher discontentment rate (negative perception) for smoking compared to male. There are all four factors were affected on smoking perception relative gender included negative consequence (z=-6.321, p<0.0001), positive reinforcement (z=- 8.110, p<0.0001), negative reinforcement (z=-7.584, p<0.0001) and appetite-weight control factor (z=-6.142, p<0.0001). Female tend to have negative perception on smoking behavior compared to male that encourage the higher number of male smoker than female adolescents. In conclusion, misconceptions about the consequence and reinforcement regarding smoking are widespread among adolescent under this study. Hence, significant public anti-smoking is vital to redress these misperceptions


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel A. Casey ◽  
Maria Naj-Oleari ◽  
Sarah Campbell ◽  
Michael Mendl ◽  
Emily J. Blackwell

AbstractDomestic dogs are trained using a range of different methods, broadly categorised as reward based (positive reinforcement/negative punishment) and aversive based (positive punishment/negative reinforcement). Previous research has suggested associations between use of positive punishment-based techniques and undesired behaviours, but there is little research investigating the relative welfare consequences of these different approaches. This study used a judgement bias task to compare the underlying mood state of dogs whose owners reported using two or more positive punishment/negative reinforcement based techniques, with those trained using only positive reinforcement/negative punishment in a matched pair study design. Dogs were trained to discriminate between rewarded and unrewarded locations equidistant from a start box, and mean latencies recorded. Their subsequent latency to intermediate ‘ambiguous’ locations was recorded as an indication of whether these were perceived as likely to contain food or not. Dogs trained using aversive methods were slower to all ambiguous locations. This difference was significant for latency to the middle (Wilcoxon Z = − 2.380, P = 0.017), and near positive (Wilcoxon Z = − 2.447, P = 0.014) locations, suggesting that dogs trained using coercive methods may have a more negative mood state, and hence that there are welfare implications of training dogs using such methods.


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