Abstract
Unlike patients suffering from egodystonic disorders, people with eating disorders sometimes attribute positive meanings to their symptoms, and this attribution process contributes to the maintenance of the disorder. This study aims at exploring psychological meanings of eating disorders and their associations with symptoms, motivation toward treatment, and clinical evolution. Eighty-one adults with an eating disorder (anorexia nervosa, n = 46 and bulimia nervosa, n = 35) treated in a day-hospital program were asked, each week over an 8-week period, to identify the psychological meanings they ascribed to their eating disorder. Avoidance was the most frequently identified meaning, followed by mental strength, security, death, confidence, identity, care, and communication. Avoidance was more frequently mentioned by participants with bulimia than in cases of anorexia. Security and mental strength were associated with less motivation toward treatment. Death was associated with more depressive and anxious symptoms. An exploratory factor analysis showed that these meanings formed three main dimensions: Avoidance, Intrapsychic, and Relational. Findings suggest that psychological meanings associated with eating disorders can be assessed and used as a clinical tool to increase treatment acceptability and effectiveness.
Highlights
Anxiety symptoms were measured by the French version (Freeston et al, 1994) of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (Beck & Steer, 1990), which is a well-known self-reported 21-item questionnaire that assesses physiological symptoms associated with anxiety
The present study aimed at exploring the subjective psychological meanings that eating disorders (ED) patients attribute to their ED, based on a previous typology by Nordbø and colleagues (2006), using a simple self-reported statement instead of interviews
This study adds to existing literature by exploring the links between self-reported ED meanings and ED diagnosis (AN or bulimia nervosa (BN)), ED and general symptoms severity, and motivation toward treatment, as well as evolution of symptoms, and motivation throughout treatment, in a sample of women suffering from either anorexia nervosa (AN) or BN
Summary
This study aims at exploring psychological meanings of eating disorders and their associations with symptoms, motivation toward treatment, and clinical evolution
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
