ABSTRACT
The timing of trauma exposure is a risk factor for the development of psychopathology in adulthood. We aim to assess the presence of adverse life events (ALEs) before age 13 in patients with eating disorders (ED). Specifically, we examined the relationship between exposure to interpersonal trauma before the age of 13 and body image distortion (BID), impulsivity, and perfectionism. We conducted a cross-sectional, retrospective study in which 79 outpatients with ED were consecutively enrolled. Assessment was performed using the Traumatic Life Event Questionnaire, Contour Drawing Rating Scale, and Eating Disorder Inventory. Linear regression models were used to analyze the predictive role of interpersonal trauma before age 13 on BID perfectionism and impulsivity. Seventy-two patients (91.1%) reported ALEs throughout their lives. Patients with trauma before age 13 (55.6%) overestimated their shape. Patients with ED and bulimic symptoms had significantly higher BID levels. Interpersonal trauma predicted higher levels of impulsivity and perfectionism. Experiencing interpersonal ALEs before age 13 may be a risk factor for the development of BID, impulsivity, and perfectionism in adulthood. Body image can be modified during childhood through interventions focused on identifying stressful relationships.
Childhood is important for the construction of self-image. When people feel threatened in relationships they trust, they feel ashamed and guilty. These emotions could lead to ED and BID. To explore this, we conducted a study on how ALEs during childhood influence the way we perceive our bodies. We asked participants with ED to close their eyes and sense their bodies. We then invited them to choose a shape from a list of nine figures with different shapes. Participants who experienced childhood trauma chose a shape that was distorted with respect to their actual figure. We believe that closing the eyes connects people to their inner emotions and influences their body appreciation. This will help patients identify and treat negative emotions so that they feel more comfortable with their bodies.
Subject(s)
Adverse Childhood Experiences , Body Image , Feeding and Eating Disorders , Impulsive Behavior , Perfectionism , Humans , Female , Adult , Feeding and Eating Disorders/psychology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Young Adult , Body Image/psychology , Retrospective Studies , Adolescent , Male , Body Dysmorphic Disorders/psychology , Risk Factors , Age Factors , Psychological Trauma/psychologyABSTRACT
Introducción. Estudios recientes reflejan que las alteraciones de la función cognitiva ejecutiva pueden ser endofenotipos de trastornos de la conducta alimentaria. Objetivo. Revisar de forma crítica la bibliografía sobre alteraciones neuropsicológicas en pacientes con trastorno de la conducta alimentaria y sus familiares de primer grado. Desarrollo. Revisamos trabajos en inglés y castellano indexados en Medline y PsycINFO en los últimos 10 años. Incluimos resúmenes de artículos aún no publicados y cruzamos los términos de búsqueda. Excluidos casos clínicos aislados, obtuvimos 41 trabajos en pacientes con anorexia nerviosa (n = 17), bulimia nerviosa (n = 5), ambas (n = 13) o trastorno de la conducta alimentaria no especificado (n = 6). Conclusiones. Los estudios revisados presentan grandes limitaciones debido a su heterogénea metodología y escasa muestra, lo que genera resultados contradictorios. La mayoría se realizó en anorexia nerviosa. La rigidez cognitiva parece más frecuente en pacientes con anorexia y sus familiares, y las alteraciones en la toma de decisión o de la coherencia central en bulimia nerviosa. Existen indicios que sugieren que las alteraciones neuropsicológicas de los trastornos de la conducta alimentaria son endofenotipos de la enfermedad (AU)
Introduction. Recent studies have shown that alterations to the executive cognitive functions may be endophenotypes of eating disorders. Aim. To perform a critical review of the literature on neuropsychological alterations in patients with eating disorders and their first-degree relatives. Development. We review the papers written in English and in Spanish indexed in Medline and PsycINFO over the last 10 years. We included abstracts of papers that have still not been published and search terms were crossed. Excluding some isolated clinical cases, we obtained 41 studies on patients with anorexia nervosa (n = 17), bulimia nervosa (n = 5), both (n = 13) or a non-specific eating disorder (n = 6). Conclusions. The studies reviewed display important limitations due to their heterogeneous methodology and small samples, which give rise to contradictory results. Most of them were conducted on anorexia nervosa. Cognitive rigidity seems to be more frequent in patients with anorexia and their relatives, and alterations in decision-making or central coherence is more often found in bulimia nervosa. There is evidence suggesting that the neuropsychological alterationsfound in eating disorders are endophenotypes of the disease (AU)
