The role of interpersonal functioning in the maintenance of eating psychopathology:a systematic review and testable model

This review aims to systematically evaluate the empirical literature relating to the interpersonal functioning of those with eating disorder psychopathology and presents a preliminary model to help the formulation of patients' problems. Following a thorough literature search, 35 papers were included in this systematic review. The vast majority of studies indicate a strong association between eating psychopathology and certain maladaptive personality traits. The origins of social anxiety and poor social support that have been described as maintaining eating disorders appear to differ according to diagnostic groups. Interpersonal difficulties in people with restrictive behaviors such as anorexia appear to be related to the avoidance of expressing feelings to others and to giving priority to other people's feeling over their own. While interpersonal difficulties in patients with bulimia nervosa appear to be more related to interpersonal distrust and negative interaction and conflict with others. These concepts are presented in a preliminary model of interpersonal functioning in the eating disorders. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Do obsessive compulsive symptoms mediate the relationship between maternal eating psychopathology and restrictive feeding practices?

Objective: Symptoms of maternal eating disorders have been linked with the use of maladaptive restrictive child feeding practices. However, how these symptoms impact upon restriction in child feeding is poorly understood. The aims of this research were to assess whether symptoms of obsessive compulsiveness, which are often comorbid with eating disorder symptoms, mediate the relationships between maternal eating disorder symptoms and the use of restrictive feeding practices. Method: A total of 128 mothers of children aged 2-6 years completed measures of their restrictive feeding practices, symptoms of eating disorders, and obsessive compulsiveness. Results: Maternal restriction was positively correlated with symptoms of drive for thinness, bulimia, and checking and cleaning obsessions and compulsions. Cleaning obsessions and compulsions mediated the relationships between maternal drive for thinness and feeding restriction. Conclusion: Cleaning obsessions and compulsions may help to explain the relationships between some symptoms of maternal eating disorders and the use of restrictive feeding practices. © 2008 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Emotion recognition and alexithymia in females with non-clinical disordered eating

Objectives: The aims were to determine if emotion recognition deficits observed in eating disorders generalise to non-clinical disordered eating and to establish if other psychopathological and personality factors contributed to, or accounted for, these deficits. Design: Females with high (n=23) and low (n=22) scores on the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) were assessed on their ability to recognise emotion from videotaped social interactions. Participants also completed a face memory task, a Stroop task, and self-report measures of alexithymia, depression and anxiety. Results: Relative to the low EDI group, high EDI participants exhibited a general deficit in recognition of emotion, which was related to their scores on the alexithymia measure and the bulimia subscale of the EDI. They also exhibited a specific deficit in the recognition of anger, which was related to their scores on the body dissatisfaction subscale of the EDI. Conclusions: In line with clinical eating disorders, non-clinical disordered eating is associated with emotion recognition deficits. However, the nature of these deficits appears to be dependent upon the type of eating psychopathology and the degree of co-morbid alexithymia.

The influence of alexithymia and mood on eating psychopathology in a non-clinical female sample

It has been demonstrated that clinical and subclinical disor- dered eating are associated with elevated levels of depression and the personality trait alexithymia (ALX). ALX means literally lack of words for emotion and is associated with a difficulty identifying and describing feelings, and with an externally oriented cognitive style. The aim of the current study was to examine the inter-relationships between mood and ALX in accounting for variations in non-clinical eating psychopathology. 124 females were assessed on the 20- item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI). Results revealed that EDI scores were positively associated with scores on the TAS-20 and with scores on the depression and anxi- ety subscales of the HADS. A series of stepwise multiple regressions revealed that depression and ALX accounted for 53% of the variance in total EDI scores and 40% of the variance in scores on the drive- for-thinness subscale of the EDI. Scores on the bulimia and body dissatisfaction subscales were predicted by the mood scores only. In conclusion, ALX and mood may contribute, alone and in combi- nation, to the development of some forms of disordered eating.

The influence of alexithymia and mood on eating psychopathology in a non-clinical female sample

It has been demonstrated that clinical and subclinical disor- dered eating are associated with elevated levels of depression and the personality trait alexithymia (ALX). ALX means literally lack of words for emotion and is associated with a difficulty identifying and describing feelings, and with an externally oriented cognitive style. The aim of the current study was to examine the inter-relationships between mood and ALX in accounting for variations in non-clinical eating psychopathology. 124 females were assessed on the 20- item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI). Results revealed that EDI scores were positively associated with scores on the TAS-20 and with scores on the depression and anxi- ety subscales of the HADS. A series of stepwise multiple regressions revealed that depression and ALX accounted for 53% of the variance in total EDI scores and 40% of the variance in scores on the drive- for-thinness subscale of the EDI. Scores on the bulimia and body dissatisfaction subscales were predicted by the mood scores only. In conclusion, ALX and mood may contribute, alone and in combi- nation, to the development of some forms of disordered eating.