1,721,128 research outputs found
The impact of emotion regulation and mental health difficulties on health behaviours during COVID19
Full text linkThe COVID-19 outbreak is having a profound impact on individuals' psychological and physical wellbeing. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of this impact and its mechanisms on a sample of adults living in Italy during the first lockdown (April–May 2020). Two hundred ninety-two individuals (67.1% females) were recruited from the community through social media. They completed baseline online questionnaires to collect demographic information, data on past and present general health and health behaviours, and to assess emotion regulation strategies. Participants completed a brief survey to assess mood and health behaviours three times a week, for three weeks. Individuals with lifetime psychiatric disorders (about 50%) reported greater negative mood and use of unhealthy behaviours over time, compared to those with no psychiatric vulnerability. The use of cognitive reappraisal to regulate emotions was associated with greater resilience (i.e., feelings of hope and resourcefulness, and ability to seek social support and enjoyable activities). Cognitive reappraisal is a skill that can be trained and could be utilised to buffer the effect of general stress (i.e. stress caused by the pandemic) on individuals’ wellbeing
Every mistake is a treasure: Lessons learned from the TRIANGLE trial for anorexia nervosa
No full textBackground Despite several decades of treatment research for anorexia nervosa (AN), many of the same questions remain: how to boost enrollment, engage participants, prevent attrition, and meet the needs of a diverse patient population within the rigorous framework of a randomized controlled trial (RCT).Methods In this research forum, we highlight some of the challenges and opportunities observed over the course of TRIANGLE, the largest RCT for severe AN treatment in the UK to date. We discuss strategies for addressing common challenges and avoiding common pitfalls and propose solutions to future researchers seeking to conduct treatment research in AN.Results Our experience underscores the value of involving people with lived experience at every stage of intervention research. We offer additional recommendations for treatment researchers, including, (1) early qualitative research to identify patient barriers and obstacles, (2) clear, systematic collaboration with clinical sites for patient recruitment and passive data collection, (3) careful consideration of assessment metrics, including repeated measurement of quality of life, (4) adopting a flexible, patient-centered approach to clinical trial research, and (5) considering the unique needs and obstacles that might impact carer participation in research and their ability to provide support to their loved ones.Discussion We hope that these lessons learned will prove fruitful for the next generation of researchers embarking on treatment research for AN.Public Significance Using the TRIANGLE trial as an illustrative case study, we highlight the value of lived experience and codesign for developing and testing interventions for AN. We offer several lessons learned over the course of the trial, pertaining to trial enrollment, retention and engagement, measurement of outcomes, and research adaptations for real-world settings, and hope that these recommendations facilitate future treatment research for AN
Social reward and rejection sensitivity in eating disorders:An investigation of attentional bias and early experiences
No full textObjectives. People with eating disorders (EDs) have difficulties with social functioning. One explanatory mechanism is a problem with over-sensitivity to rejection and/or low sensitivity to social reward. The aim of this study is to investigate attentional bias to facial stimuli in people with a lifetime diagnosis of EDs and healthy controls (HCs) and to test whether these attentional biases are linked to adverse early experiences. Methods. Forty-six participants with a current diagnosis of EDs (29 with anorexia nervosa (AN) and 17 with bulimia nervosa (BN)), 22 participants recovered from an eating disorder (13 with past AN and nine with past BN) and 50 HCs completed a dot-probe task with faces expressing rejection and acceptance. Participants reported on parental style and adverse early experiences. Results. People with a lifetime diagnosis of EDs show an attentional bias to rejecting faces and a difficulty disengaging attention from these stimuli. Also, they had a sustained attentional avoidance of accepting faces. HCs demonstrated the opposite attentional pattern. The attentional bias to rejection was correlated with adverse childhood experiences. Conclusions. People with an EDs show vigilance to rejection and avoidance of social reward. This may contribute to the causation or maintenance of the illness
Interpersonal reactivity in eating disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis of literature studies
No full textThe interplay between emotion regulation, interpersonal problems and eating symptoms in individuals with obesity: A network analysis study
No full textIntroduction: A complex and bidirectional relationship between eating and psychological symptoms in individuals with obesity has been proposed. This study aims to identify the specific processes playing a role in this association, using a data-driven approach. Methods: Two hundred ninety-four adults with obesity, including 106 (36 %) with binge-eating disorder, were consecutively admitted to a specialized public center. They completed self-report questionnaires to assess emotion regulation, interpersonal problems, self-esteem, binge-eating symptoms, and expectancies regarding eating behaviors. To assess the interplay among eating and psychological variables, a network analysis was used. The bridge function analysis was also performed to identify the bridge nodes among three communities (eating symptoms, interpersonal and emotional problems). Results: The network was stable. Limited access to emotion regulation strategies, eating helps manage negative affect, and non-assertiveness were the nodes with the highest strength centrality. Lack of emotional clarity, non-assertiveness, socially inhibition, and binge-eating were the nodes with the highest bridge strength. Limitations: The main limitation of the study is the cross-sectional nature of the findings which prevents to infer causality regarding the association between symptoms in the network. Discussion: An interplay between eating symptoms and affective and interpersonal factors characterizes individuals with obesity. Across the variety of psychological problems associated with obesity, the present study suggests specific psychological variables and their connections that could be addressed to improve treatment outcome
Sleep quality in eating disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Full text link: Eating disorders (ED) are psychological disorders characterized by dangerous eating behaviours, including protracted fasting and binge eating. Mental disorders comorbidities (e.g., anxiety and depression), as well as sleep difficulties, are common and might interfere with treatment response. This work investigated sleep quality, circadian preferences, and sleep disorders in ED patients compared to healthy controls (HC) and the impact of ED treatment on patients' sleep. A literature search on Pubmed, Web of Science, Medline, and PsychInfo included 27 studies. Random effect analyses were performed (sample eating disorders = 711; sample healthy controls = 653) and subgroup analyses were calculated based on the ED subgroups: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder. Whole sample analyses showed poorer physiological and subjective sleep quality in patients. Subgroup analyses showed that poorer physiological sleep was present only in anorexia nervosa. Two studies reporting circadian preferences and sleep disorders showed higher evening preference in patients and no differences in apnea prevalence between patients and healthy controls, respectively. Some studies suggested that specialized eating disorder treatments (e.g., Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for ED) can improve sleep quality in patients. Although these findings highlight poorer sleep in patients with ED compared to healthy controls, the mechanisms underlying sleep alterations in eating disorders remain to be identified
Persistent avoidance of virtual food in anorexia nervosa-restrictive type: Results from motion tracking in a virtual stopping task
Full text linkObjectiveFood avoidance is central to patients with anorexia nervosa-restrictive type (AN-R). Competing accounts in experimental psychopathology research suggest that food avoidance may result from automatic, habitual responses or from elevated inhibitory control abilities. This study investigated behavioral trajectories of food avoidance in a novel virtual reality stopping task.MethodSixty patients with AN-R and 29 healthy controls with normal weight were investigated using a novel, kinematic task in virtual reality. We recorded spatial displacement in stop- and go-trials to virtual food and control objects. Inhibitory control abilities were operationalized by the VR task in stopping performance (i.e., interrupted movement in stop-trials), whereas we also measured habitual avoidance of virtual food across both go- and stop-trials (i.e., delayed movement relative to nonfood objects).ResultsIn patients with AN-R, hand displacements were shorter to food versus nonfood across stop- and go-trials, reflected in a Stimulus x Group interaction. Healthy controls showed no differences. Importantly, the food-specific effect in AN-R was identical across stop- and go-trials, indicating habitual food avoidance. Moreover, stop error rates (i.e., stop-trials with response) were lower in patients with AN-R.DiscussionThe findings suggest food-specific habitual avoidance and heightened generalized inhibitory control in AN-R. The continuously delayed displacements during active hand movements across stop- and go-trials indicated the persistence of patients' avoidance of food.Public SignificanceExperimental research investigates the mechanisms underlying mental disorders such as anorexia nervosa. In this study, we measured interrupted hand movements in response to food pictures or neutral pictures (shoes) in patients with anorexia nervosa and healthy controls. A virtual reality scenario was used. Findings indicated that patients were slower at approaching food, interrupted or not. Key mechanisms of food avoidance can be translated into habit-based treatment options in future research
Guided Self-Help and Eating Disorders
No full textThis chapter discusses guided self-help and self-help interventions for patients with eating disorders. Self-help describes the use of printed or digital resources (e.g., books, workbooks, and videoclips) that individuals can access in their own time and environment to gather information and develop skills about the management of their symptoms and unhelpful behaviors, thoughts, and emotions. When the use of these resources is facilitated by a health professional or a less expert individual (e.g., someone with lived experience of the illness, a psychology postgraduate), then the intervention is defined as “guided self-help.” The form of guidance differs across settings and can include “online” sessions (either face-to-face, through a web platform such as Zoom, Teams, and Skype, or via telephone) or “offline” support, for example, through emails or text messages. In the eating disorders literature, guided self-help has been delivered and evaluated more often than self-help, especially to target binge eating symptoms. In this condition, guided self-help has been found superior to a comparison condition (mostly waiting list or minimal therapeutic input) in reducing binge eating and eating disorder psychopathology. In anorexia nervosa, guided self-help and self-help have been studied far less, due to clinical concerns regarding the severity of symptoms and patients’ ambivalence to change. Nevertheless, the published studies have identified the potential of guided self-help to improve motivation to change and reduce dropout in patients. Guided self-help and self-help resources have been offered to patients’ carers too, and associated with improved skills to cope with eating disorder symptoms and behaviors. This chapter describes findings from studies that evaluated guided self-help or self-help interventions for patients with eating disorders and highlights the changes that these interventions have witnessed over the years. In recent years, for example, there has been a shift from face-to-face, book-based interventions delivered by highly specialized professionals, toward digital interventions, offering online materials, and delivered by people with less intensive training, including individuals with lived experience of the illness. This model holds great potential in terms of acceptability and wide dissemination. Open questions remain with regard to how patient-level (age, illness severity, and motivation to change) and intervention-level variables (e.g., type of guidance received, duration of intervention, and way of delivery) can impact on the efficacy and effectiveness of guided self-help and self-help for patients with eating disorders and their carers
A Critical Review of Studies Assessing Interpretation Bias Towards Social Stimuli in People With Eating Disorders and the Development and Pilot Testing of Novel Stimuli for a Cognitive Bias Modification Training.
Full text linkPeople with eating disorders display a negative interpretation bias towards ambiguous social stimuli. This bias may be particularly relevant to young people with the illness due to the developmental salience of social acceptance and rejection. The overall aim of this study was to systematically develop and validate stimuli for a cognitive bias modification training to reduce a social rejection-related negative interpretation bias in young people with eating disorders. A mixed-methods design was used to achieve this aim. A review of the literature was conducted using EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and PubMed. Six studies were included in the review. Focus groups were held with patients with eating disorders, carers and healthcare professionals. Content analysis was used to identify key themes from the qualitative data. Based on these themes, a total of 339 scenarios were generated by the researchers. Salient themes identified from the focus group data included virtual rejection/exclusion, rejection associated with an aspect of the eating disorder, rejection triggered by ambiguous/benign comments or behaviors of others and rejection perceived when confiding in others. Patients rated these scenarios in terms of their age-relevance and emotional salience and 301 scenarios were included in the final stimulus set. These materials may be used by researchers conducting future experimental research into the potential benefits of interpretation bias training for young people with eating disorders
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