Relationship between nonexercise activity and mood in patients with eating disorders.

INTRODUCTION: Many patients with eating disorders (EDs) engage in excessive and compulsive physical activity (pathological exercise, PE) to regulate negative mood or to "burn calories." PE can lead to negative health consequences. Non-exercise activity (NEA) bears the potential to serve as intervention target to counteract PE and problematic eating behaviors since it has been associated with positive mood effects. However, to date, there is no investigation on whether the positive link between NEA and mood seen in the healthy translates to patients with ED. MATERIAL AND METHODS: To study potential associations of NEA and mood in ED, we subjected 29 ED-patients and 35 healthy controls (HCs) to an ambulatory assessment study across 7 days. We measured NEA via accelerometers and repeatedly assessed mood on electronic smartphone diaries via a mixed sampling strategy based on events, activity and time. Within- and between-subject effects of NEA on mood, PE as moderator, and the temporal course of effects were analyzed via multilevel modeling. RESULTS: NEA increased valence (ß = 2.12, p < 0.001) and energetic arousal (ß = 4.02, p < 0.001) but showed no significant effect on calmness. The effects of NEA on energetic arousal where significantly stronger for HCs (ßHC = 6.26, p < 0.001) than for EDs (ßED = 4.02, p < 0.001; ßinteraction = 2.24, p = 0.0135). Effects of NEA were robust across most timeframes of NEA and significantly moderated by PE, that is, Lower PE levels exhibited stronger NEA effects on energetic arousal. CONCLUSION: Patients with ED and HC show an affective benefit from NEA, partly depending on the level of PE. If replicated in experimental daily life studies, this evidence may pave the way towards expedient NEA interventions to cope with negative mood. Interventions could be especially promising if delivered as Just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs) and should be tailored according to the PE level.

Validation and measurement invariance of the Compulsive Exercise Test among Brazilian and American young adults.

PURPOSE: To evaluate compulsive exercise, researchers often rely on the widely used Compulsive Exercise Test (CET). However, the measure has shown unstable factor structure in several validation studies and is not available in Portuguese for use in Brazil. We aimed to describe the translation and cultural adaptation of the CET to Brazilian Portuguese, to test several factor structures among Brazilian and US samples of men and women, to test measurement invariance across countries, and to evaluate its internal consistency. Furthermore, we sought to evaluate convergent validity, correlating the CET with a measure of eating disorder symptoms, and to compare compulsive exercise symptoms between countries. METHODS: Four models of the latent structure of the CET were tested using confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs), three-factor structure with 15 items, three-factor structure with 18 items, four-factor structure with 21 items, and the original five-factor structure with 24 items, in a sample of 1,531 young adults (601 Brazilians and 930 Americans), aged 18-35 years. RESULTS: A series of CFAs demonstrated that the three-factor structure with 15 items showed a better fit to the data. This model demonstrated good convergent validity and internal consistency. Results from the CET multigroup CFA showed evidence for the invariance at the configural, metric, and scalar levels across Brazilians and Americans. Furthermore, significant differences were found between Brazilians and Americans, with Brazilians demonstrating higher scores on the Avoidance and rule-driven behavior and Mood improvement subscales, whereas US participants scored higher on the Weight control exercise subscale. CONCLUSIONS: Results support the three-factor structure with 15 items to be used as a measure of compulsive exercise among Brazilians and Americans, allowing cross-cultural comparisons between these countries. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, Cross-sectional, Psychometric study.

Explaining reinforcement and erroneous beliefs in pathological exercise: A commentary and expansion on Coniglio et al. (in press) using the pathways model of disordered gambling.

Coniglio, Cooper, and Selby proposed that behavioral reinforcement may be critical for understanding the etiology and maintenance of pathological exercise among people living with anorexia nervosa. They presented three competing hypotheses about why exercise can become problematic: (a) positive reinforcement via biological and behavioral rewards, (b) negative reinforcement via avoidance of aversive states, or (c) a synergistic interplay between positive and negative reinforcement. Herein, we extend Coniglio and colleagues' framework by drawing on theory and research from the field of disordered gambling-a behavior in which reinforcement is an etiological and maintaining mechanism. We applied the pathways model of disordered gambling to the study of pathological exercise and made the following two proposals. First, pathological exercise may be driven by positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, or both (they are not mutually exclusive), depending on the presence or absence of specific co-occurring psychopathologies. Second, erroneous beliefs about the safety and efficacy of maladaptive exercise for weight control may help maintain pathological exercise regardless of the type of reinforcement. We conclude by calling for research that assesses Coniglio and colleagues' novel hypotheses and our supposition that the pathways model can help provide a framework for those hypotheses.

Behavioral reinforcement of pathological exercise in anorexia nervosa.

Pathological exercise in anorexia nervosa (AN) is a harmful behavior associated with a chronic course and poor prognosis. To date, no comprehensive theoretical model exists to describe pathological exercise in the context of AN, and as such, few treatments are effective at promoting direct and sustained pathological exercise extinction. Using a framework put forth by Wise & Koob (2014), debating the relative importance of positive and negative reinforcement in substance use, we present three hypotheses of behavioral reinforcement of exercise, encompassing biological, psychological, and environmental influences. Specifically, we argue that exercise is positively reinforced through receipt of biological and behavioral rewards, negatively reinforced through avoidance of aversive emotions, and that these two systems work in tandem over time to engrain pathological exercise as a habit. We then present suggestions for testing each of these hypotheses as future directions for the field.

A comparative meta-analysis of the prevalence of exercise addiction in adults with and without indicated eating disorders.

BACKGROUND: Exercise addiction is associated with multiple adverse outcomes and can be classified as co-occurring with an eating disorder, or a primary condition with no indication of eating disorders. We conducted a meta-analysis exploring the prevalence of exercise addiction in adults with and without indicated eating disorders. METHODS: A systematic review of major databases and grey literature was undertaken from inception to 30/04/2019. Studies reporting prevalence of exercise addiction with and without indicated eating disorders in adults were identified. A random effect meta-analysis was undertaken, calculating odds ratios for exercise addiction with versus without indicated eating disorders. RESULTS: Nine studies with a total sample of 2140 participants (mean age = 25.06; 70.6% female) were included. Within these, 1732 participants did not show indicated eating disorders (mean age = 26.4; 63.0% female) and 408 had indicated eating disorders (mean age = 23.46; 79.2% female). The odds ratio for exercise addiction in populations with versus without indicated eating disorders was 3.71 (95% CI 2.00-6.89; I2 = 81; p ≤ 0.001). Exercise addiction prevalence in both populations differed according to the measurement instrument used. DISCUSSION: Exercise addiction occurs more than three and a half times as often as a comorbidity to an eating disorder than in people without an indicated eating disorder. The creation of a measurement tool able to identify exercise addiction risk in both populations would benefit researchers and practitioners by easily classifying samples.

Detecting pathological exercise in college men: An investigation using latent profile analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Pathological exercise is a dangerous behavior often observed in eating disorders. Data investigating associated characteristics of pathological exercise in men are lacking, despite college men and women being at equally elevated risk for developing eating disorders. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred and twenty-four college men who exercise regularly completed a series of self-report questionnaires. METHODS: Latent profile analysis was used to identify empirically-derived homogenous subgroups of regular exercisers based on severity of other eating disorder attitudes and behaviors. Profiles were also compared on differences in exercise motivation and general psychopathology (i.e., depression, anxiety). RESULTS: Fit indices indicated a three-profile solution. Profiles described an eating psychopathology group, a low psychopathology group, and a high exercise frequency group without eating disorder features. CONCLUSIONS: Pathological exercise cannot be identified using exercise frequency alone. Other features like body dissatisfaction and exercise motivation style are relevant in identifying pathological exercise behavior in college men.

The relationship between exercise addiction, eating disorders, and insecure attachment styles among recreational exercisers.

BACKGROUND: Exercise addiction (EA) and eating disorders (ED) frequently co-occur in both professional and amateur athletes, with up to 48% of individuals with EA also exhibiting symptoms of ED. Furthermore, pathological attachment styles have been linked to both EA and ED. The current study aimed to explore the unique association between types of insecure attachment styles (i.e., anxiety or avoidance) and EA and ED. METHOD: Four hundred and five Israelis (199 women, 206 men) who were recreational exercisers (i.e., exercised at least four hours a week for at least one year) with ages ranging from 18 to 78 (M = 38, SD = 12.31) completed a set of questionnaires, including the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), Exercise Addiction Inventory, and the Experiences in Close Relationship Scale. Path analysis was used to simultaneously examine the associations of attachment anxiety and avoidance with EA and ED symptoms. Attachment anxiety and avoidance were specified as independent variables predicting ED and EA symptoms and were entered into the analysis as two parallel dependent variables. RESULTS: The results of the study indicate that attachment anxiety is positively associated with symptoms of EDs, while the association between attachment anxiety and symptoms of EA is not significant. On the other hand, attachment avoidance shows a positive association with symptoms of exercise addiction, but no significant association with symptoms of EDs is found. CONCLUSIONS: These results imply that the anxious attachment regulation strategy is highly associated with body image concerns. Furthermore, individuals characterized by avoidance attachment manifest regulation strategies through excessive exercise. Scholars and practitioners could use these results to examine dispositional risk factors for insecure attachment styles and to assess specific pathologies among the population of recreational exercisers. The study also discusses limitations, future directions, and implications in detail.

Prevalence and Correlates of Exercise Addiction in the Presence vs. Absence of Indicated Eating Disorders.

Despite the many benefits of regular, sustained exercise, there is evidence that exercise can become addictive, to the point where the exerciser experiences negative physiological and psychological symptoms, including withdrawal symptoms upon cessation, training through injury, and the detriment of social relationships. Furthermore, recent evidence suggests that the etiology of exercise addiction is different depending on the presence or absence of eating disorders. The aim of this study was to explore to what extent eating disorder status, body dysmorphic disorder, reasons for exercise, social media use, and fitness instructor status were associated with exercise addiction, and to determine differences according to eating disorder status. The key findings showed that the etiology of exercise addiction differed according to eating disorder status, with variables including social media use, exercise motivation, and ethnicity being uniquely correlated with exercise addiction only in populations with indicated eating disorders. Furthermore, body dysmorphic disorder was highly prevalent in subjects without indicated eating disorders, and could be a primary condition in which exercise addiction is a symptom. It is recommended that clinicians and practitioners working with patients who present with symptoms of exercise addiction should be screened for eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder before treatments are considered.