ABSTRACT
While exercise is generally associated with positive health outcomes, in the context of eating disorders, exercise has high potential to become maladaptive. Maladaptive exercise is compelled or compulsive in nature for the purposes of weight and shape control or to obtain/avoid other eating disorder-relevant consequences. A transdiagnostic eating disorder feature with moderate-to-high prevalence across restrictive- and bulimic-spectrum eating disorders, maladaptive exercise is often associated with negative mental and physical health sequalae. Several proposed threat- and reward-related biobehavioral mechanisms may initiate or perpetuate maladaptive exercise. While exercise is generally contraindicated during periods of acute medical concern, adaptive forms of exercise are also present among those with eating disorders, and facilitation of adaptive exercise has potential to promote physical and mental health benefits during eating disorder recovery. Detailed assessment and targeted interventions are needed to address the clinical conundrum of how and when to integrate exercise into eating disorder treatment.
ABSTRACT
The Body Advocacy Movement (BAM) is a novel, cognitive-dissonance-based intervention designed to target fatphobia and anti-fat bias as mechanisms to drive reductions in eating disorder (ED) risk. Previous dissonance-based programs (i.e. the Body Project; BP) have successfully targeted thin-ideal internalization as an intervention mechanism. As burgeoning research indicates that fatphobia and anti-fat bias may play a central role in the maintenance of ED pathology, a focused intervention designed to target these constructs could bolster prevention efforts. The aims of this pilot study include confirming acceptability and feasibility of BAM and developing preliminary estimates of its effects on intervention targets, along with benchmarking these effects against the BP intervention. BAM was found to be accepted by participants and feasible to facilitate in a peer-led model. Preliminary results from 50 participants (BAM: N = 26; BP: N = 24) reveal small-to-moderate pre-to-post intervention effects on fatphobia, anti-fat bias, thin-ideal internalization, and eating pathology, which dissipated at 8-week follow-up. The BAM intervention has the potential to supplement the existing suite of ED prevention programs by specifically targeting anti-fat bias, though additional testing in larger and more diverse samples is necessary to clarify its impact on both hypothesized risk mechanisms and ED outcomes.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Although exercise is generally considered healthy, many individuals engage in maladaptive exercise (e.g., compulsive in nature). Several definitions of maladaptive exercise exist, leading to multiple, varied assessment tools; assuming homogeneity across these assessments contributes to low consensus in etiological models. METHOD: We used a Jaccard Index to quantify content overlap among 15 commonly-used self-report instruments measuring maladaptive exercise, with 31 features identified across 224 items. RESULTS: The most common features were exercise to control weight/shape and to avoid negative affect (both included in 9/15 instruments), or compensate for calories consumed (8/15 instruments). Overlap among instruments was low (.206) and no features were common across all instruments. CONCLUSIONS: Findings generally support theoretical models of exercise in eating pathology. However, instruments most commonly used to assess maladaptive exercise measure heterogenous content. Careful consideration should be taken when comparing findings derived from differing instruments, when synthesizing literature on maladaptive exercise, and when selecting instruments to measure specific maladaptive exercise features. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: Many, varied, tools exist for the assessment of maladaptive exercise (e.g., compulsive or compensatory) in the context of eating disorders. Assuming homogeneity across tools contributes to low consensus in the field. We used a Jaccard Index to quantify content overlap among 15 self-report instruments measuring maladaptive exercise. The most commonly used instruments measure heterogenous content. Careful consideration should be taken when synthesizing literature and selecting instruments to use in research.
Subject(s)
Exercise , Feeding and Eating Disorders , Humans , Feeding and Eating Disorders/diagnosis , Exercise/adverse effectsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Exercise for weight loss and maladaptive exercise (exercise that results in negative consequences or interference with daily life) are common behaviors among youth and are associated with increased risk of disordered eating symptoms. The current study clarifies processes that influence exercise-related risk in adolescence and young adulthood, including the frequency with which young people transition between engaging in exercise for weight loss and experiencing negative consequences of this behavior. METHOD: Participants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) reported on eating disorder cognitions at age 14, and exercise behavior at ages 14, 16, 18, and 24 years old. Analyses examined rates of transition between the categories of 'No Exercise for Weight Loss', 'Exercise for Weight Loss', and 'Maladaptive Exercise' over time, identified overall trends in endorsement of exercise for weight loss and maladaptive exercise, and clarified predictors of these behaviors. RESULTS: Endorsement of exercise for weight loss and maladaptive exercise increased over time in both males and females. Those in the 'Exercise for Weight Loss' category were more likely than those in the 'No Exercise for Weight Loss Category' to transition to 'Maladaptive Exercise' over time. Body mass index (Age 13) and fear of weight gain (Age 14) were consistent predictors of maladaptive exercise across sex. CONCLUSIONS: Results support re-framing motivations for exercise in youth away from weight loss at a population level and targeting reductions in fear of weight gain for high-risk individuals.
Subject(s)
Feeding Behavior , Feeding and Eating Disorders , Male , Female , Adolescent , Child , Humans , Young Adult , Adult , Longitudinal Studies , Body Mass Index , Weight Gain , Weight LossABSTRACT
Maladaptive exercise (i.e., exercise that compensates for binge eating or is used to avoid negative consequences of not exercising-like weight gain) is a common eating disorder (ED) behavior, yet, some individuals with EDs only engage in adaptive exercise. CBT for EDs targets reducing maladaptive exercise but does not address adaptive exercise. Thus, research is limited on how adaptive and maladaptive exercise are impacted during CBT for EDs. The current study examined how assessor-rated adaptive and maladaptive exercise and objectively measured physical activity changed over a 12-week CBT treatment among adults with transdiagnostic binge eating and restrictive eating that did and did not engage in maladaptive exercise at the start of treatment (n = 13 non-maladaptive exercise group, n = 17 maladaptive exercise group). The overall amount of adaptive and maladaptive exercise was measured via the Eating Disorder Examination Interview and objectively measured physical activity (e.g., step count, minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [MVPA]) was measured via a wrist-worn fitness tracker. Throughout treatment, the overall amount of adaptive exercise did not significantly change for both groups, but the overall amount of maladaptive exercise significantly decreased in the maladaptive exercise group. Step count did not significantly change for both groups, but minutes of MVPA significantly increased over treatment for the non-maladaptive exercise group. Increases in step count and minutes of MVPA were not associated with ED symptom changes in either group. These results enhance an understanding of exercise changes during transdiagnostic CBT-based ED treatment for individuals with varying baseline exercise profiles.Level of evidence: Level 1, randomized controlled trial.
Subject(s)
Binge-Eating Disorder , Bulimia , Cognitive Behavioral Therapy , Feeding and Eating Disorders , Adult , Humans , Cognitive Behavioral Therapy/methods , Feeding and Eating Disorders/therapy , Binge-Eating Disorder/therapy , ExerciseABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: There is increasing consensus that open science practices improve the transparency and quality of clinical science. However, several barriers impede the implementation of these practices at the individual, institutional, and field levels; understanding and addressing these barriers is critical to promoting targeted efforts in increasing effective uptake of open science. METHODS: Within this research forum, we drew from publicly available online information sources to identify initial characterizations of researchers engaged in several types of open science practices in the field of eating disorders. We use these observations to discuss potential barriers and recommendations for next steps in the promotion of these practices. RESULTS: Data from online open science repositories suggest that individuals using these publishing approaches with pre-prints and articles with eating-disorder-relevant content are predominantly non-male gender identifying, early to mid-career stage, and are more likely to be European-, United States-, or Canada-based. DISCUSSION: We outline recommendations for tangible ways that the eating disorder field can support broad, increased uptake of open science practices, including supporting initiatives to increase knowledge and correct misconceptions; and prioritizing the development and accessibility of open science resources. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The use of open science practices has the potential to increase the transparency and quality of clinical science. This Forum uses publicly sourced online data to characterize researchers engaged in open science practices in the field of eating disorders. These observations provide an important framework from which to discuss potential barriers to open science and recommendations for next steps in the promotion of these practices.
Subject(s)
Feeding and Eating Disorders , Publishing , Humans , CanadaABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Clinical, epidemiological, and genetic findings support an overlap between eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and anxiety symptoms. However, little research has examined the role of genetics in the expression of underlying phenotypes. We investigated whether the anorexia nervosa (AN), OCD, or AN/OCD transdiagnostic polygenic scores (PGS) predict eating disorder, OCD, and anxiety symptoms in a large developmental cohort in a sex-specific manner. METHODS: Using summary statistics from Psychiatric Genomics Consortium AN and OCD genome-wide association studies, we conducted an AN/OCD transdiagnostic genome-wide association meta-analysis. We then calculated AN, OCD, and AN/OCD PGS in participants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children to predict eating disorder, OCD, and anxiety symptoms, stratified by sex (combined N = 3212-5369 per phenotype). RESULTS: The PGS prediction of eating disorder, OCD, and anxiety phenotypes differed between sexes, although effect sizes were small. AN and AN/OCD PGS played a more prominent role in predicting eating disorder and anxiety risk than OCD PGS, especially in girls. AN/OCD PGS provided a small boost over AN PGS in the prediction of some anxiety symptoms. All three PGS predicted higher compulsive exercise across different developmental timepoints [ß = 0.03 (s.e. = 0.01) for AN and AN/OCD PGS at age 14; ß = 0.05 (s.e. = 0.02) for OCD PGS at age 16] in girls. CONCLUSIONS: Compulsive exercise may have a transdiagnostic genetic etiology, and AN genetic risk may play a role in the presence of anxiety symptoms. Converging with prior twin literature, our results also suggest that some of the contribution of genetic risk may be sex-specific.
Subject(s)
Anorexia Nervosa , Feeding and Eating Disorders , Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder , Male , Female , Humans , Anorexia Nervosa/epidemiology , Longitudinal Studies , Genome-Wide Association Study , Comorbidity , Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder/epidemiology , Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder/genetics , Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder/diagnosis , Anxiety/geneticsABSTRACT
Wearable fitness trackers are an increasingly popular tool for measuring physical activity (PA) due their accuracy and momentary data collection abilities. Despite the benefits of using wearable fitness trackers, there is limited research in the eating disorder (ED) field using wearable fitness trackers to measure PA in the context of EDs. Wearable fitness trackers are often underused in ED research because there is limited knowledge about whether wearable fitness trackers negatively or positively impact PA engagement and ED symptoms in individuals with EDs. The current study aimed to assess the perceived impact wearable fitness trackers have on PA engagement and ED symptoms over a 12-week CBT treatment for 30 individuals with binge eating and restrictive eating that presented to treatment engaging or not engaging in maladaptive exercise. Participants in the maladaptive exercise group (n = 17) and non-maladaptive exercise group (n = 13) wore a fitness tracker for 12 weeks and completed questionnaires assessing participants' perceptions of the fitness trackers' influence on ED symptoms and PA engagement throughout treatment. Results demonstrated a small percentage of individuals perceived the fitness tracker influenced ED behaviors or PA engagement, and there were mixed results on whether participants positively or negatively perceived the fitness tracker influenced them to engage in ED behaviors or PA engagement. Although preliminary, these results demonstrate the need to continue using objective measurements of PA via wearable fitness trackers to further our understanding of the positive and negative effects of fitness trackers on clinical ED samples.Level of Evidence: Level 1, randomized controlled trial.
Subject(s)
Binge-Eating Disorder , Feeding and Eating Disorders , Humans , Binge-Eating Disorder/diagnosis , Binge-Eating Disorder/therapy , Feeding Behavior , Fitness Trackers , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Dysfunctional exercise is a common, debilitating symptom across eating disorders (ED). We examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between experiences of exercise and ED behaviors and cognitions in an adolescent, population-based sample. METHODS: Adolescents (n = 4,054) self-reported whether they exercised to control shape and weight (exercise for weight loss [EWL]), and, if so, whether they exercised even when injured, and whether exercise interfered with life functioning (driven exercise) at age 14 years, allowing delineation of three exercise-based groups: no-EWL, EWL, and driven exercise. Participants also reported ED cognitions at age 14 years along with other ED behaviors (fasting, purging, binge eating) at ages 14 and 16 years. Sex-stratified regression approaches were employed to examine relationships between these exercise categories at age 14 and ED behaviors and cognitions at ages 14 and 16. RESULTS: Cross-sectionally, those in the driven exercise group, compared to the no-EWL group, consistently reported higher levels of ED cognitions and behaviors, with those in the EWL group also reporting higher levels of some ED cognitions and behaviors relative to the no-EWL group. Those in the EWL and driven exercise groups at age 14 also demonstrated a higher prospective likelihood of fasting (boys and girls) and purging (girls only) at age 16, relative to those in the no-EWL group at age 14. DISCUSSION: Results inform our understanding of EWL and driven exercise and the developmental timing of ED behaviors in adolescence and point toward the potential utility of targeted prevention for young people who report EWL.
Subject(s)
Binge-Eating Disorder , Feeding and Eating Disorders , Adolescent , Cross-Sectional Studies , Feeding Behavior , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , MaleABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Driven exercise (DEx) is a serious and common feature of eating disorders (EDs), but current understanding of factors that give rise to and maintain DEx is limited. DEx may be reinforced through its effects on the threat reduction and reward systems. The current protocol is designed to evaluate acute psychobiological response to exercise among female participants (age 16-22) with and without EDs. METHOD: Twenty medically-stable participants with restrictive-spectrum EDs and 20 healthy control (HC) participants will complete study screening and three task visits which will include two 30-minute bouts of aerobic exercise. RESULTS: We aim to validate and demonstrate feasibility of two tasks capturing exercise response in this sample. Further, we will estimate the degree to which a bout of exercise impacts state body image, affect, and circulating concentrations of biological markers among participants, and we will examine whether the impact of exercise on psychological outcomes may differ across ED and HC groups. DISCUSSION: Completion of this project will contribute to the conceptualization of DEx and how individuals' acute biological and affective responses to exercise contribute to risk for and maintenance of DEx.
Subject(s)
Feeding and Eating Disorders , Adolescent , Adult , Body Image , Exercise , Feeding and Eating Disorders/diagnosis , Feeding and Eating Disorders/therapy , Female , Humans , Pilot Projects , Young AdultABSTRACT
The tripartite influence model suggests that appearance pressures from family, peers, and the media contribute to thin-ideal internalization, which leads to increased body dissatisfaction and subsequent eating disorder pathology. The tripartite influence model was initially developed and tested among primarily White samples, and emerging research suggests racial/ethnic differences in mean levels of particular model constructs. Consequently, the model's appropriateness for understanding eating disorder risk in racial/ethnic minorities warrants investigation to determine its usefulness in explicating eating disorder risk in diverse populations. Participants in the current study were White (n = 1167), Black (n = 212), Latina (n = 203), and Asian (n = 176) women from five geographically disparate college campuses in the United States. Participants completed the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4, the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire - Appearance Evaluation Subscale, and the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire. Analysis of variance was used to compare mean levels of each construct across racial/ethnic groups. Multigroup structural equation modeling was used to assess the appropriateness of the tripartite influence model for each racial/ethnic group, and to examine differences in the strength of the model pathways across groups. There were significant mean level differences across groups for most model constructs. However, results indicated similar model fit across racial/ethnic groups, with few differences in the strength of model pathways. Findings suggest that although some groups report lower levels of proposed risk factors, the sociocultural risk processes for eating pathology identified through the tripartite influence model are similar across racial/ethnic groups of young adult women. Such information can be used to inform culturally-sensitive interventions.
Subject(s)
Body Image , Ethnicity , Black or African American , Female , Hispanic or Latino , Humans , Students , United States , Young AdultABSTRACT
Anxiety and eating disorders (EDs) often co-occur, prompting calls to explore anxiety-related maintenance processes in ED samples. Safety behaviors, which function to prevent a feared outcome from occurring or to reduce anxiety associated with a feared stimulus, are observed across anxiety disorders and, along with overt avoidance behaviors, are an important target in treatment. Data suggest that individuals with EDs also engage in safety behaviors. However, no existing assessments provide a comprehensive measure of eating-disorder-specific overt avoidance and safety behaviors. The goal of this Stage 1 Registered Report is to develop a comprehensive self-report measure of ED-specific safety behaviors. In Study 1, we will recruit 50 women with EDs to complete the scale and provide feedback on the response scale. Feedback from these participants will be used to refine the measure. In Study 2, we will evaluate the psychometric properties of the measure in a large sample of women with EDs (n dependent on the size of measurement) and a community sample without current or a history of ED symptoms. We will explore the measure factor structure, known-groups validity by comparing scores from women with EDs to healthy controls, internal consistency, and convergent and divergent validity with other psychological instruments.
Subject(s)
Feeding and Eating Disorders , Anxiety Disorders , Feeding and Eating Disorders/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Psychometrics , Reproducibility of Results , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
As aesthetic athletes, professional dancers have increased vulnerability for eating disorders (EDs), with three times higher risk than non-dancers. Among ballet dancers, generalized risk for EDs associated with internalization of western cultural female beauty ideals is compounded by idealization of a ballet-specific body ideal, a combination that confers unique vulnerability for eating pathology. Empirical support has been established for an athlete-specific intervention promoting body acceptance and reduced eating pathology among general populations of young-adult women and female collegiate athletes; the current study adapted this intervention for pilot implementation among professional ballet dancers. Participants from two elite ballet companies (N = 19) were randomized to a control and intervention condition. All participants self-reported eating pathology and related variables pre- and post-intervention, and at six-week follow-up. Post-intervention, participants receiving the intervention demonstrated reductions in body dissatisfaction, p = .005, r = -.63, dietary restraint, p = .008, r = -.59, and eating pathology, p = .007, r = -.60, as compared to control group counterparts; significant differences were retained at follow-up. Results provide preliminary evidence that this intervention has the potential to provide a feasible and acceptable means of ED prevention in female professional ballet dancers. Barriers to feasibility are identified and discussed.
Subject(s)
Athletes/psychology , Dancing/psychology , Feeding and Eating Disorders/psychology , Adult , Body Image , Female , Humans , Pilot Projects , Young AdultABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Cognitive rumination is a transdiagnostic construct that has been increasingly studied in the context of eating disorders (EDs). While this literature has consistently linked trait-level general and ED-specific forms of rumination to ED psychopathology, it is not clear whether trait-level measures are independently related to symptoms in daily life. Therefore, the present study used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to assess the ecological validity of trait measures of general rumination and ED-specific rumination, and assess the degree to which ruminative brooding and reflection were differentially related to relevant momentary affective, cognitive, and behavioral processes. METHODS: Forty women completed baseline measures (Ruminative Response Scale [RRS] and Ruminative Response Scale for Eating Disorders [RRSED]) followed by a 10-day EMA protocol. RESULTS: Generalized estimating equations indicated trait-level ED-specific rumination was related to momentary general and ED-specific rumination, and trait-level general and ED-specific rumination were related to momentary affect and concentration difficulties. Trait-level general rumination was related to momentary self-discrepancy, while higher trait-level ED-specific rumination was related to greater loss of control eating, overeating, and body dissatisfaction. Lastly, trait levels of ruminative brooding, compared to reflection, were more consistently related to maladaptive momentary symptoms (i.e., general rumination, negative affect, concentration problems, body dissatisfaction). CONCLUSION: Together these findings support the ecological validity of the RRSED and identify shared and unique momentary correlates of the RRS and RRSED. Results also highlight the importance of measuring and addressing trait- and state-level ruminative processes that are both general and specific to ED psychopathology in research and clinical work. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, observational descriptive study.
Subject(s)
Binge-Eating Disorder , Bulimia , Feeding and Eating Disorders , Rumination, Cognitive , Ecological Momentary Assessment , Female , HumansABSTRACT
Eating disorders (EDs) and anxiety disorders (ADs) evidence shared risk and significant comorbidity. Recent advances in understanding of anxiety-based disorders may have direct application to research and treatment efforts for EDs. The current review presents an up-to-date, behavioral conceptualization of the overlap between anxiety-based disorders and EDs. We identify ways in which anxiety presents in EDs, consider differences between EDs and ADs relevant to treatment adaptions, discuss how exposure-based strategies may be adapted for use in ED treatment, and outline directions for future mechanistic, translational, and clinical ED research from this perspective. Important research directions include: simultaneous examination of the extent to which EDs are characterized by aberrant avoidance-, reward-, and/or habit-based neurobiological and behavioral processes; improvement in understanding of how nutritional status interacts with neurobiological characteristics of EDs; incorporation of a growing knowledge of biobehavioral signatures in ED treatment planning; development of more comprehensive exposure-based treatment approaches for EDs; testing whether certain exposure interventions for AD are appropriate for EDs; and improvement in clinician self-efficacy and ability to use exposure therapy for EDs.
Subject(s)
Feeding and Eating Disorders , Implosive Therapy , Anxiety , Anxiety Disorders/therapy , Feeding and Eating Disorders/therapy , Humans , PsychopathologyABSTRACT
Deficits in social cognition and communication, the processes associated with human social behavior and interaction, have been described in individuals with eating disorder psychopathology. The current study examined whether social communication characteristics present in middle childhood (ages 8-14) were associated with eating disorder behaviors, cognitions, and diagnoses across adolescence (ages 14-18) in a large, population-based sample. Participants (N = 4864) were children enrolled in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a population-based, prospective study of women and their children. Regression methods tested prospective associations between social functioning using a facial emotion recognition task and parentally reported social communication symptoms (or difficulties), measured by the Social Communication Disorder Checklist (SCDC), with eating disorder symptoms and diagnoses. Misattribution of faces as sad or angry at age 8.5 was associated with purging and anorexia nervosa diagnosis at age 14, respectively, among girls. Furthermore, autistic-like social communication difficulties during middle childhood were associated with bulimia nervosa symptoms during adolescence among both girls and boys. Results did not support global associations between measured social communication deficits and eating disorder risk in this sample, but specific difficulties with facial emotion recognition and social communication may enhance the risk for disordered eating behaviors.
Subject(s)
Anorexia Nervosa , Bulimia Nervosa , Feeding and Eating Disorders , Adolescent , Child , Communication , Feeding and Eating Disorders/diagnosis , Feeding and Eating Disorders/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Prospective StudiesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The Criterion B binge-eating symptoms represent five symptoms associated with binge eating. Any three out of five symptoms can be used to meet Criterion B. However, Criterion B symptoms may not be interchangeable in terms of how binge-eating severity is associated with each symptom. Item response theory (IRT) can test how endorsing each symptom relates to the overall level (i.e., severity) of binge-eating measured by Criterion B. We used IRT to identify (a) how each Criterion B symptom corresponded with binge-eating severity in a transdiagnostic binge-eating sample and (b) how well each symptom differentiated individuals with differing levels of severity. METHOD: Participants (N = 219) were adults (80.8% female) with a current ED that included objective binge-eating episodes assessed via semi-structured interview. A two-parameter logistic IRT model evaluated how endorsement of each Criterion B symptom corresponded with the level of latent binge-eating severity. RESULTS: "Eating large amounts when not hungry" and "eating alone" reflected the highest binge-eating severity. "Eating alone" was the best discriminator across different binge-eating severity levels, whereas "uncomfortably full" was the poorest discriminator across binge-eating severity levels. DISCUSSION: Criterion B symptoms were not interchangeable in terms of what level of binge-eating severity corresponded with symptom endorsement. "Eating large amounts when not hungry" or "eating alone" may signify elevated binge-eating severity, whereas "uncomfortably full" and "feeling disgusted/depressed/guilty" were not necessarily indicative of elevated severity. Results suggested that Criterion B may need to be revised to eliminate symptoms that are redundant with other binge-eating diagnostic criteria.
Subject(s)
Binge-Eating Disorder/diagnosis , Adult , Binge-Eating Disorder/psychology , Female , Humans , Male , Young AdultABSTRACT
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by heightened avoidance, cognitive inflexibility, and impaired reward processing. Maladaptive behavior in PTSD may reflect an imbalance between approach and avoidance, but no research has investigated approach-avoidance conflict (AAC) in PTSD. The current study investigated approach-avoidance behavior in PTSD using a trauma-related AAC (trAAC) task in two independent samples. In Study 1, 43 women with a current diagnosis of PTSD and 18 healthy comparison subjects were recruited from the community. In Study 2, 53 women with trauma exposure and a range of PTSD symptoms were recruited from a correctional institution. Trials were separated into two phases: conflict (the option most likely to win points was most likely to show a trauma-related image) and congruent (the option most likely to win points was least likely to show a trauma-related image). In Study 1, reward obtainment varied with the task manipulation (i.e., fewer points earned during conflict compared to congruent Phase) in PTSD but not healthy subjects. These results indicate that when avoidance is advantageous (congruent phase), individuals with PTSD show increased task performance, whereas when avoidance is maladaptive (conflict phase), individuals with PTSD show increased sacrifice of reward. In Study 2, higher PTSD symptoms predicted decreased reward earning during the conflict phase, again indicating a sacrifice of reward when avoidance is maladaptive. Across both studies, PTSD associated with increased AAC and sacrifice of reward in the presence of trauma-related stimuli. These studies shed light on AAC in PTSD and could inform more targeted therapy approaches. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Subject(s)
Adaptation, Psychological/physiology , Reward , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/psychology , Adult , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Young AdultABSTRACT
While facets of both anxiety and impulsivity appear central to the development and maintenance of bulimia nervosa (BN), specific BN behaviors may be propagated by differing profiles of risk. The current study examined associations between dimensions of anxiety and impulsivity and BN symptoms (binge eating, vomiting, laxative misuse, driven exercise), both in terms of the presence of such behaviors and their frequency. Two hundred and four women (Mage = 25.7 years) who met DSM-IV criteria for full or subthreshold BN completed self-report measures of perfectionism (Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale), anxiety (Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory), impulsivity (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11; Impulsive Behavior Scale), eating disordered behaviors (Eating Disorder Examination - Questionnaire), and associated psychiatric symptoms (Michigan Assessment Screening Test/Alcohol-Drug; Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory). Factor analysis revealed multidimensional impulsive and anxiety-related traits (5 anxiety-related factors; 7 impulsivity-related factors). In zero-sensitive regression models, different facets of impulsivity evidenced association with the presence of binge eating (risk taking), laxative misuse (impulsive spending), and fasting (difficulty concentrating), along with the frequency of vomiting (long-term planning difficulties). In contrast, anxiety-related dimensions were only associated with driven exercise (high standards) and fasting (concern over mistakes, high standards, parental expectations). Overall, impulsive and anxiety-related factors and symptoms showed distinct associations with specific eating disorder behaviors, even among those with the same diagnosis.
Subject(s)
Anxiety/psychology , Bulimia Nervosa/psychology , Feeding Behavior/physiology , Feeding and Eating Disorders/psychology , Impulsive Behavior/physiology , Adolescent , Adult , Bulimia Nervosa/diagnosis , Feeding and Eating Disorders/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Young AdultABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Cross-sectional associations between eating disorders (EDs) and deficits in neuropsychological functioning have been well documented; however, limited research has examined whether neuropsychological functioning is prospectively associated with EDs. The current study investigated prospective associations between neuropsychological functioning in childhood (ages 8 and 10) and ED behaviours and disorders in adolescence (at ages 14, 16, and 18 years) in a population-based sample. METHOD: Participants (N = 4,803) were children enrolled in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a population-based, prospective study of women and their children. Regression methods tested associations between facets of neuropsychological functioning (attention, working memory, and inhibition) and eating disorder symptoms and diagnoses. RESULTS: Better scores on working memory tasks in childhood were associated with decreased risk of fasting but increased risk of excessive exercise during adolescence. Better inhibitory control was associated with decreased risk for disordered eating at age 14, and attentional difficulties were associated with increased risk for binge eating disorder during adolescence among boys but not girls. CONCLUSIONS: Neuropsychological functioning may enhance risk for disordered eating behaviours in specific ways. Overall, effect sizes were small, and results did not support global associations between neuropsychological differences and ED risk in this sample.