Abstract
ObjectiveResearch investigating the relationship between neuropsychological test performances and self-reported cognitive functioning in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) is limited, and existing experimental studies only demonstrate a low-to-moderate relationship between the performance based tests and everyday behaviour. The objective of the current study was to explore the association between neuropsychological test performance and self-reports of executive functioning in adolescents with AN.MethodTwenty adolescent females diagnosed with AN, aged 13 to 18, completed neuropsychological test battery “the Ravello Profile” and the self-report version of the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF-SR). The BRIEF Parent Form (BRIEF-PF) was employed to provide additional information of the patients’ executive functioning.ResultsBased on group level analyses, the results support the existing literature in failing to find consistent weaknesses in neuropsychological functioning in adolescents with AN. Further, with few exceptions, the Ravello Profile was insubstantially correlated with the majority of the BRIEF clinical scales, indicative of a lack of association between these two assessment methods.ConclusionThe current study accentuates the need for concern regarding the generalizability of neuropsychological assessments in adolescent patients with AN.
Highlights
Clinicians working in the field of eating disorders will often describe patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) as being preoccupied with details, and displaying high levels of cognitive and behavioural rigidity
With few exceptions, the Ravello Profile was insubstantially correlated with the majority of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) clinical scales, indicative of a lack of association between these two assessment methods
This was true for both BRIEF-SR and BRIEF-PF scores
Summary
Clinicians working in the field of eating disorders will often describe patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) as being preoccupied with details, and displaying high levels of cognitive and behavioural rigidity This pertains in particular to issues concerning food, weight and bodily appearance, and to other aspects of everyday functioning like schoolwork and in relation to friends and family. Many young individuals with AN undoubtedly struggle with being flexible and being able to see “the bigger picture”, especially in terms of eating disorder (ED) specific symptoms such as weight, shape, food and purging behaviours As these weaknesses do not always appear to manifest in a controlled test-setting, this might indicate low sensitivity of assessment measures, that is, that they are not sensitive enough to pick up on modest neuropsychological weaknesses, or perhaps even more realistic, that rigidity and detail focus related to everyday life activities are nonassessable using neuropsychological tests, i.e., the tests lack ecological validity
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