Boredom, alexithymia, and desire thinking in eating disorders: a cross-sectional study

Giuseppe Craparo, Oriana Gagliano, Giulia Costanzo, Valentina Lucia La Rosa, Alessio Gori, Leonardo Mendolicchio

Abstract


Background: Eating disorders (ED) can be considered in terms of affective disorders. In this perspective, abnormal eating behaviors would be dysfunctional defensive behaviors related to difficulties to recognize and modulate traumatic emotional experiences. The aim of this study is to explore the associations between alexithymia, boredom, impulsiveness, and desire thinking in subjects with eating disorders.


Methods: 45 patients with ED and 45 healthy controls completed the following questionnaires: Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, Multidimensional State Boredom Scale, Desire Thinking Questionnaire, Body Uneasiness Test and Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire.


Results: Our results seem to confirm that alexithymia, boredom, impulsivity, and desire thinking are strictly related in ED. In particular, difficulties in identifying feelings contribute to determine boredom experiences which, in turn, contribute significantly to structure body image disorders.


Conclusions: This study adds new insights into the associations between alexithymia, boredom, impulsiveness, and desire thinking in subjects with eating disorders. Future areas of investigation could better explore the role of boredom experiences in structuring body image dissatisfaction and its relationship with alexithymia.

Keywords


Eating disorders; Boredom; Alexithymia; Desire Thinking; Impulsiveness.

Full Text:

PDF

References


Adam, T. C., & Epel, E. S. (2007, Jul 24). Stress, eating and the reward system. Physiol Behav, 91(4), 449-458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.04.011

Alda, M., Minguez, J., Montero-Marin, J., Gili, M., Puebla-Guedea, M., Herrera-Mercadal, P., Navarro-Gil, M., & Garcia-Campayo, J. (2015, May 15). Validation of the Spanish version of the Multidimensional State Boredom Scale (MSBS). Health Qual Life Outcomes, 13, 59. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-015-0252-2

Artoni, P., Chierici, M. L., Arnone, F., Cigarini, C., De Bernardis, E., Galeazzi, G. M., Minneci, D. G., Scita, F., Turrini, G., De Bernardis, M., & Pingani, L. (2020, Mar 2). Body perception treatment, a possible way to treat body image disturbance in eating disorders: a case-control efficacy study. Eat Weight Disord. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-020-00875-x

Avena, N. M., & Bocarsly, M. E. (2012, Jul). Dysregulation of brain reward systems in eating disorders: neurochemical information from animal models of binge eating, bulimia nervosa, and anorexia nervosa. Neuropharmacology, 63(1), 87-96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.11.010

Avena, N. M., Rada, P., & Hoebel, B. G. (2009, Mar). Sugar and fat bingeing have notable differences in addictive-like behavior. J Nutr, 139(3), 623-628. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.108.097584

Bagby, R. M., Parker, J. D., & Taylor, G. J. (1994, Jan). The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale--I. Item selection and cross-validation of the factor structure. J Psychosom Res, 38(1), 23-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(94)90005-1

Barratt, E. S. (1959). Anxiety and Impulsiveness Related to Psychomotor Efficiency. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 9(3). https://doi.org/10.2466/pms.1959.9.3.191

Barratt, E. S. (1993). Impulsivity: Integrating, cognitive, behavioral, biological, and environmental data. In W. McCowan & M. Shure (Eds.), The impulsive client: Theory, research, and treatment (pp. 39–56). American Psychological Association.

Braden, A., Musher-Eizenman, D., Watford, T., & Emley, E. (2018, Jun 1). Eating when depressed, anxious, bored, or happy: Are emotional eating types associated with unique psychological and physical health correlates? Appetite, 125, 410-417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2018.02.022

Bressi, C., Taylor, G., Parker, J., Bressi, S., Brambilla, V., Aguglia, E., Allegranti, I., Bongiorno, A., Giberti, F., Bucca, M., Todarello, O., Callegari, C., Vender, S., Gala, C., & Invernizzi, G. (1996). Cross validation of the factor structure of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale: An Italian multicenter study. J Psychosom Res, 41(6), 551-559. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-3999(96)00228-0

Caretti, V., & Barbera, D. L. (2005). Alessitimia. Valutazione e trattamento. Astrolabio Ubaldini. https://books.google.it/books?id=SFJjPQAACAAJ

Caretti, V., Craparo, G., & Schimmenti, A. (2010). Il ruolo della disregolazione affettiva, della dissociazione e della vergogna nei disturbi del comportamento alimentare [The role of affective dysregulation, dissociation and shame in eating disorders]. In V. Caretti & D. La Barbera (Eds.), Addiction. Aspetti Biologici e di Ricerca [Addiction. Biological and Research Aspects] (pp. 135-165). Raffaello Cortina Editore.

Caselli, G., & Spada, M. M. (2010, Oct). Metacognitions in desire thinking: a preliminary investigation. Behav Cogn Psychother, 38(5), 629-637. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465810000317

Caselli, G., & Spada, M. M. (2011, Nov). The Desire Thinking Questionnaire: development and psychometric properties. Addict Behav, 36(11), 1061-1067. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2011.06.013

Cash, T. F., & Deagle, E. A., 3rd. (1997, Sep). The nature and extent of body-image disturbances in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa: a meta-analysis. Int J Eat Disord, 22(2), 107-125. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9261648

Corcos, M., Guilbaud, O., Paterniti, S., Moussa, M., Chambry, J., Chaouat, G., Consoli, S. M., & Jeammet, P. (2003, Apr). Involvement of cytokines in eating disorders: a critical review of the human literature. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 28(3), 229-249. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0306-4530(02)00021-5

Corcos, M., Guilbaud, O., Speranza, M., Paterniti, S., Loas, G., Stephan, P., & Jeammet, P. (2000, Apr 10). Alexithymia and depression in eating disorders. Psychiatry Research, 93(3), 263-266. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0165-1781(00)00109-8

Craparo, G., Faraci, P., Gori, A., Hunter, J. A., Hunter, A., Pileggi, V., Costanzo, G., Lazzaro, A., & Eastwood, J. D. J. C. N. (2017). Validation of the Italian version of the Multidimensional State Boredom Scale (MSBS). Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 14(2).

Crockett, A. C., Myhre, S. K., & Rokke, P. D. (2015, May). Boredom proneness and emotion regulation predict emotional eating. J Health Psychol, 20(5), 670-680. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105315573439

Cuzzolaro, M., Vetrone, G., Marano, G., & Garfinkel, P. E. (2006, Mar). The Body Uneasiness Test (BUT): development and validation of a new body image assessment scale. Eat Weight Disord, 11(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03327738

de Vignemont, F. (2010). Body schema and body image—Pros and cons. Neuropsychologia, 48(3), 669-680. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2009.09.022

Dijkerman, H. C., & de Haan, E. H. F. (2007). Somatosensory processing subserving perception and action: Dissociations, interactions, and integration. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 30(2), 224-230. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x07001641

Fahlman, S. A., Mercer-Lynn, K. B., Flora, D. B., & Eastwood, J. D. (2013, Feb). Development and validation of the multidimensional state boredom scale. Assessment, 20(1), 68-85. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191111421303

Fatt, S. J., Mond, J., Bussey, K., Griffiths, S., Murray, S. B., Lonergan, A., Hay, P., Pike, K., Trompeter, N., & Mitchison, D. (2020, May 19). Seeing yourself clearly: Self-identification of a body image problem in adolescents with an eating disorder. Early Interv Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.12987

Fava, M., Copeland, P. M., Schweiger, U., & Herzog, D. B. (1989, Aug). Neurochemical abnormalities of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 146(8), 963-971. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.146.8.963

Fenwick, A. S., & Sullivan, K. A. (2011, Sep 30). Potential link between body dysmorphic disorder symptoms and alexithymia in an eating-disordered treatment-seeking sample. Psychiatry Research, 189(2), 299-304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2011.07.011

Fossati, A., Di Ceglie, A., Acquarini, E., & Barratt, E. S. (2001, Jun). Psychometric properties of an Italian version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11) in nonclinical subjects. J Clin Psychol, 57(6), 815-828. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.1051

Franzoni, E., Verrotti, A., Gualandi, Caretti, Schimmenti, A., Di, P., Craparo, Franchi, Pellicciari, A., & Pellegrini. (2013). The relationship between alexithymia, shame, trauma, and body image disorders: investigation over a large clinical sample. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment. https://doi.org/10.2147/ndt.S34822

Ganley, R. M. (1989). Emotion and eating in obesity: A review of the literature. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 8(3), 343-361. https://doi.org/10.1002/1098-108x(198905)8:3<343::Aid-eat2260080310>3.0.Co;2-c

Guillaume, S., Jaussent, I., Maimoun, L., Ryst, A., Seneque, M., Villain, L., Hamroun, D., Lefebvre, P., Renard, E., & Courtet, P. (2016, Nov 2). Associations between adverse childhood experiences and clinical characteristics of eating disorders. Sci Rep, 6, 35761. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep35761

Hund, A. R., & Espelage, D. L. (2006). Childhood emotional abuse and disordered eating among undergraduate females: Mediating influence of alexithymia and distress. Child Abuse & Neglect, 30(4), 393-407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2005.11.003

Irvine, K. R., McCarty, K., McKenzie, K. J., Pollet, T. V., Cornelissen, K. K., Tovee, M. J., & Cornelissen, P. L. (2019, Jan). Distorted body image influences body schema in individuals with negative bodily attitudes. Neuropsychologia, 122, 38-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.11.015

Kahl, K. G., Bens, S., Ziegler, K., Rudolf, S., Dibbelt, L., Kordon, A., & Schweiger, U. (2006, Apr 1). Cortisol, the cortisol-dehydroepiandrosterone ratio, and pro-inflammatory cytokines in patients with current major depressive disorder comorbid with borderline personality disorder. Biol Psychiatry, 59(7), 667-671. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.08.001

Kaye, W. H., Frank, G. K., Bailer, U. F., Henry, S. E., Meltzer, C. C., Price, J. C., Mathis, C. A., & Wagner, A. (2005, May 19). Serotonin alterations in anorexia and bulimia nervosa: new insights from imaging studies. Physiol Behav, 85(1), 73-81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2005.04.013

Lavender, J. M., & Mitchell, J. E. (2015). Eating Disorders and Their Relationship to Impulsivity. Current Treatment Options in Psychiatry, 2(4), 394-401. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40501-015-0061-6

Lawson, R., Emanuelli, F., Sines, J., & Waller, G. (2008, Mar). Emotional awareness and core beliefs among women with eating disorders. Eur Eat Disord Rev, 16(2), 155-159. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.848

Momtazmanesh, S., Zare-Shahabadi, A., & Rezaei, N. (2019). Cytokine Alterations in Schizophrenia: An Updated Review. Front Psychiatry, 10, 892. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00892

Moynihan, A. B., Tilburg, W. A. P. v., Igou, E. R., Wisman, A., Donnelly, A. E., & Mulcaire, J. B. (2015). Eaten up by boredom: consuming food to escape awareness of the bored self. Frontiers in Psychology, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00369

Ng, A. H., Liu, Y., Chen, J.-z., & Eastwood, J. D. (2015). Culture and state boredom: A comparison between European Canadians and Chinese. Personality and Individual Differences, 75, 13-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.10.052

Nijenhuis, E. R. S. (2017). The Scoring and Interpretation of the SDQ-20 and SDQ-5. Activitas Nervosa Superior, 52(1), 24-28. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03379561

Nilsson, D., Lejonclou, A., & Holmqvist, R. (2019). Psychoform and somatoform dissociation among individuals with eating disorders. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 74(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1080/08039488.2019.1664631

Patton, J. H., Stanford, M. S., & Barratt, E. S. (1995, Nov). Factor structure of the Barratt impulsiveness scale. J Clin Psychol, 51(6), 768-774. https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-4679(199511)51:6<768::aid-jclp2270510607>3.0.co;2-1

Pitron, V., & de Vignemont, F. (2017). Beyond differences between the body schema and the body image: insights from body hallucinations. Consciousness and Cognition, 53, 115-121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2017.06.006

Schwarz, M. J. (2003, Jun). Cytokines, neurophysiology, neuropsychology, and psychiatric symptoms. Dialogues Clin Neurosci, 5(2), 139-153. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22034110

Soidla, K., & Akkermann, K. (2020, May 7). Perfectionism and impulsivity based risk profiles in eating disorders. Int J Eat Disord. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23285

Stanford, M. S., Mathias, C. W., Dougherty, D. M., Lake, S. L., Anderson, N. E., & Patton, J. H. (2009). Fifty years of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale: An update and review. Personality and Individual Differences, 47(5), 385-395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2009.04.008

Taylor, G. J., Parker, J. D. A., Bagby, R. M., & Bourke, M. P. (1996). Relationships between alexithymia and psychological characteristics associated with eating disorders. J Psychosom Res, 41(6), 561-568. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-3999(96)00224-3

Van der Hart, O., Nijenhuis, E. R. S., & Steele, K. (2006). The haunted self. Structural dissociation and the treatment of chronic traumatization. Norton & Company.

van Tilburg, W. A. P., & Igou, E. R. (2011). On boredom: Lack of challenge and meaning as distinct boredom experiences. Motivation and Emotion, 36(2), 181-194. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-011-9234-9

Vicario, C. M., Rafal, R. D., Martino, D., & Avenanti, A. (2017, Sep). Core, social and moral disgust are bounded: A review on behavioral and neural bases of repugnance in clinical disorders. Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 80, 185-200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.05.008

Yang, J. J., & Jiang, W. (2020, May 1). Immune biomarkers alterations in post-traumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord, 268, 39-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.02.044




DOI: https://doi.org/10.6092/2282-1619/mjcp-2529

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.