Investigation of the relationship between early maladaptive schemas, temperament and eating attitude in adults (original) (raw)
Early maladaptive schemas in overweight and obesity: A schema mode model
Heliyon, 2019
Obesity is a growing burden in our societies and, although different kinds of treatments are effective in the short time, weight gain often reoccurs in the longer period. One possible explanation might rely on the little comprehension of obese maladaptive schemas, as developed from early life experiences, which might interfere with treatment enduring efficacy. The aim of this study was to investigate early maladaptive schemas, their associated current schema-modes and dysfunctional coping strategies in overweight and obese individuals (N ¼ 48). Results showed that overweight and obese subjects reported more severe insufficient self-control, abandonment, dependence and subjugation schemas, and actual schema-modes (i.e., impulsive and vulnerable child, detached protector), compared against normal-weight controls (N ¼ 37). As well, the former displayed higher dysfunctional eating habits (i.e., bingeing and bulimic symptoms) and more emotional-avoidant coping strategies. Above all schemas, insufficient self-control predicted higher BMI, binge frequency and bulimic symptoms' severity. Furthermore, avoidant coping mediated between specific maladaptive schemas and frequency of bingeing and bulimic symptoms. Our findings illustrate that overweight and obese display more dysfunctional early maladaptive schemas and schema-modes, compared against normal-weight individuals, exhibiting more emotion-avoidant strategies such as over-eating and bingeing, which might stand for a detached self-soother coping mode. The insufficient self-control schema develops from a lack in self-discipline and an inability to tolerate frustration and might be embodied by the impulsive child mode. A deeper comprehension of schemas and modes, as addressed within the Schema Therapy model, might help to understand dysfunctional personality features that might interfere with the long-lasting efficacy of treatment interventions in obesity.
Nutrients, 2017
In recent years, there has been a growing focus on early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) as core features associated with eating psychopathology. The aims of the present study were to assess in overweight and obese women: (i) the association between dysfunctional eating patterns (i.e., food addiction and binge eating) and EMSs, and (ii) the association between food addiction and EMSs after controlling for potential confounding variables (i.e., binge eating severity and psychopathology). Participants were 70 overweight and obese women seeking low-energy-diet therapy. The patients were administered self-report measures investigating food addiction, binge eating, EMSs, anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms. Food addiction severity was strongly associated with all main schema domains. Binge eating severity was positively related to disconnection/rejection (r = 0.41; p < 0.01), impaired limits (r = 0.26; p < 0.05), and other-directedness domains (r = 0.27; p < 0.05). The disconne...
Comprehensive Psychiatry, 2007
Objective: The objectives were (1) to examine whether 3 eating disorder subgroups, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) classification system, exhibit a specific profile in terms of early maladaptive schema (EMS) factors, and (2) to investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and EMS factors in each of the individual eating disorder subgroups. Methods: The presence of EMS was measured by the Young Schema Questionnaire Long Form among patients affected by restrictive anorexia nervosa, binge/purging-type anorexia nervosa, and bulimia nervosa. Principal component factor analysis was used to investigate the factor structure of the EMS across eating disorder subgroups. General linear model analysis was applied to examine the differences of the subgroups in terms of their EMS factors. Differential association between BMI and schema factors was tested by analysis of covariance. Results: Four EMS factors were extracted, which accounted for approximately 72% of the variance. The 3 eating disorder subgroups differed in terms of their EMS factor profiles. The analysis of covariance resulted in a significant negative relationship between BMI and EMS factor 2 in the bulimia nervosa group ( P b .0099), indicating that higher severity on defectiveness, failure, dependence, enmeshments, subjugation, approval-seeking (EMS factor 2) was associated with lower values on BMI. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that EMSs based on Young's conceptualization of EMS, as measured by the Young Schema Questionnaire, differ significantly among eating disorder subgroups defined by the phenomenological approach used by the DSM-IV diagnoses. These results are consistent with the notion that dysfunctional cognitions may play an important role in the development and maintenance of the symptoms that underlie the DSM-IV classification of the eating disorder subtypes. D
Maladaptive schemas in adolescent females with anorexia nervosa and implications for treatment
Eating Behaviors, 2015
Recent research has highlighted the presence of Young's Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMSs) in individuals with an eating disorder (ED). This study assessed the EMSs reported by adolescent females with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) compared with a community group. Thirty-six adolescent females diagnosed with AN or subthreshold AN and 111 female secondary school students completed a questionnaire that included the Young Schema Questionnaire, the Behavior Assessment System for Children Self-report of Personality, and the Eating Disorder Screen for Primary Care. Two independent AN subtypes and two community subtypes were derived from responses to the questionnaire, and significant differences between the four comparison groups were found. High Pathology AN participants reported the highest level of psychological maladjustment. Social Isolation and Emotional Inhibition appeared to be most characteristic of adolescent AN in this sample. The results suggest that EMSs may require attention in the treatment of AN in adolescent females, and that different AN subtypes may require individualized treatment approaches.
Eating behavior and personality: an exploratory analysis
Personality and Individual Differences, 1988
An exploratory study on a university student sample (N = 67) shows that scores on Restraint, Disinhibition and Hunger of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) of Stunkard and Messick (1985) are not associated with EPQ and MMPI personality dimensions. However, Restraint and EPQ Psychoticism load on the same Varimax-rotated factor and low predictability of TFEQ factor scores was found for some MMPI scales. Restraint and Disinhibition appeared significantly intercorrelated in the whole sample and in the sex-based subsamples. It is suggested that TFEQ scores are complementary to personality tests in the evaluation of eating behavior disorders.
Disordered Eating Attitudes and Behaviors: Gender Differences in Adolescence and Young Adulthood
Journal of Womens Health Care, 2017
Introduction: Dieting, obsessive weight control practices, fears of fatness, negative body image, food and weight preoccupation and other distorted attitudes and behaviors are proven risk factors with a serious potential to facilitate the development of anorexia and bulimia nervosa and the so called "atypical ED". They are not enough studied in Bulgaria. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and the gender differences in disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in adolescents and young adults from Bulgaria. We studied two age groups -886 (80.7%) adolescents from 14 to 19 years and 212 (19.3%) young adults from 20 to 40 years, 402 male and 696 female. The respondents were Bulgarian high school students, undergraduate university students and volunteers from the general population with higher education. All participants anonymously completed the Eating attitudes and behaviors questionnaire (EABQ); Bulgarian version of the SCOFF, The Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale (EDDS) and gave information about their age, gender, height and weight, the lowest body weight during the last three months; the frequency of measuring the body weight. We calculated three composite EDDS sub-scores. The boys and girls total and composite questionnaires scores differed significantly. There were no significant gender differences in young adults, except for EABQ total score. The mean ranks in the adolescent group showed that the female subjects reported more disordered eating behavior and risky attitudes compared with the males. In both age groups, the total SCOFF and EABQ scores and the composite scores of EDDS correlated significantly and proportionally (Spearman's correlation, p<0.01). The mean results from EABQ showed more distorted eating attitudes and behaviors in the groups above the SCOFF "Yes" risk threshold, the EABQ scores of males and females from the groups at risk and from the non-risk groups differed significantly (p<0.05). More than one fifth (22.5%) of the girls examined are at risk for ED development and have significantly lower BMI values than boys. The risk in adult women and in males from both age groups is smaller. EABQ showed good discriminative capacities.
2009
The present study aimed to examine the relationship between maladaptive schemas and treatment outcomes of adolescent and adult women with an eating disorder receiving residential treatment. Existing data were obtained from 67 females aged 11 to 47 years (m =18.61) that had entered residential treatment for anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), or eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) at a Western United States residential eating disorder treatment facility. Pre-and posttreatment data were collected by the personnel at the facility on eating disorder symptomatology, mood, and core beliefs. Three hypotheses were tested: (a) that maladaptive schemas would be positively correlated with eating disorder symptom severity, (b) that females endorsing more maladaptive schemas at admission or those with stable maladaptive schemas across their course of treatment would have less favorable posttreatment outcomes at the time of their discharge from residential treatment than females with lower scores initially or improved scores over the course of their treatment and follow-up, and (c) that females vi impact each of them had on my graduate school experience and on my life more generally.
Early Maladaptive Schemas in Eating Disordered Patients With or Without Non-Suicidal Self-Injury
European Eating Disorders Review, 2016
This study investigates early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) in function of eating disorder (ED) subtypes (restrictive/bulimic) and the presence/absence of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Female inpatients (N = 491) completed the Young Schema Questionnaire and the Self-Injury Questionnaire. The influence of ED subtype and the presence/absence of NSSI and their interaction on the EMS were investigated by means of a MANCOVA. The results showed main effects of ED subtype and the presence of NSSI on EMS. Patients with bulimia scored significantly higher on insufficient self-control and emotional deprivation, which are more related to cluster B compared with restrictive patients, whereas restrictive patients scored significantly higher on social undesirability, failure to achieve, subjugation and unrelenting standards compared with patients with bulimia that are more related to cluster C. Patients with ED with NSSI reported significantly higher EMS levels compared with patients without NSSI, suggesting that they could be of particular interest to benefit from schema therapy.
Eating attitudes and temperament attributes of normal and overweight college students
Eating Behaviors, 2002
The aim of the present investigation was to compare temperament and eating attitudes in overweight versus ''normal'' weight samples of college students. In Study 1, the responses of women of normal and overweight status on measures of temperament and eating attitudes were analyzed. Overweight women were shown lower on self-rated ''activity'' and ''oral control.'' Given the suggestive nature of the results, a larger sample including both women and men was obtained for Study 2. The results of the first study were replicated for the women, and overweight men were additionally found lower in ''emotional distress'' and ''fear,'' with weight status related to all three aspects of eating behavior. That is, differences by weight status were discerned for both women and men on oral control, with overweight men also higher in ''dieting'' and ''bulimia-food preoccupation.'' Further research on overweight men versus women, their perceptions of their own temperaments, and their attitudes toward eating, may be beneficial in understanding more about risk factors for the development of obesity.
Frontiers in Psychology, 2021
Background: The literature has shown a significant association between traumatic experiences and eating psychopathology, showing a greater symptomatology in patients with trauma history. Less is known about the associations between trauma and cognitive schemas, and personality traits and the differences between childhood and adulthood trauma experiences. Thus, this paper aims to assess the clinical and psychological characteristics of eating disorder (ED) patients, looking for differences between patients without a history of trauma and patients with trauma experiences, as well as at possible differences between exposure in childhood, adulthood, or repeated events. Another aim of the paper is to evaluate the possible mediation role of cognitive schemas and personality traits in the relationship between early trauma and eating psychopathology.Methods: From January to November 2020, 115 consecutive inpatients admitted for a specific multidisciplinary ED treatment in a dedicated Unit w...
Appetite, 2014
Eating styles have been studied in both Obesity (OB) and Eating Disorders (ED), but they have not been examined in these two weight conditions together. The present study explores differences in eating styles in an Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and OB sample, compared to Healthy Controls (HC), and it analyses their relationship with Body Mass Index (BMI) and personality traits. The total sample consisted of 291 female participants (66 AN, 79 OB and 146 HC). Assessment measures included the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire-DEBQ- and the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised-TCI-R-. The MANCOVA test showed significant differences among the three groups for all eating styles, with emotional eating being more typical in the OB group and restrained eating more typical in the AN group. Partial correlation analyses showed relationships between emotional and external eating and BMI, as well as relationships with different temperament and character traits. The stepwise discriminant functio...
Development and Validity of the Disordered Eating Attitude Scale (Deas) 1,2
Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2010
The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Disordered Eating Attitude Scale to measure disordered eating attitudes, defined as abnormal beliefs, thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and relationship regarding food. Exploratory factor analysis was performed and internal consistency assessed in a sample of female university students ( N = 196). Convergent validity was acceptable based on statistically significant correlations with the Eating Attitude Test–26 and Restraint Scale. Known-groups validity was determined by comparing the student sample's mean scores against scores of an eating disorder group ( N = 51). The Disordered Eating Attitude Scale comprises 25 questions and five subscales explaining 54.3% of total variance. The total scores differentiated student, bulimia, and anorexia groups. The scale should prove useful for evaluating eating attitudes in various population groups and eating disordered patients.
Puberty and the genetic diathesis of disordered eating attitudes and behaviors
Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 2009
Twin studies from the Minnesota Twin Family Study (MTFS) suggest negligible genetic effects on eating pathology before puberty, but increased genetic effects during puberty. However, an independent study found no pubertal differences in genetic and environmental effects . Discrepant results may be due to methodological differences. The MTFS studies divided twins at mid-puberty, while Rowe et al. divided twins based on menarche alone. We aimed to reconcile discrepant findings by examining differences in etiologic effects for disordered eating attitudes and behaviors (i.e., levels of weight preoccupation, body dissatisfaction, binge eating, compensatory behaviors) using both classification methods in a new sample of 656 female twins. Using the MTFS method, we observed nominal genetic effects in pre-pubertal twins, but significant genetic effects in pubertal and young adult twins. Conversely, genetic effects were moderate and equal in all groups using the method. Findings highlight the potentially important role of puberty in the genetic diathesis of disordered eating attitudes and behaviors and the need to use early indicators of pubertal status in studies of developmental effects.
Objectives: Eating styles have been studied in both Obesity (OB) and Eating Disorders (ED), but they have not been examined in these two weight conditions together. The present study explores differences in eating styles in an Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and OB sample, compared to Healthy Controls (HC), and it analyses their relationship with Body Mass Index (BMI) and personality traits. Method: The total sample consisted of 291 female participants (66 AN, 79 OB and 146 HC). Evaluation: Assessment measures included the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire-DEBQ-and the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised-TCI-R-. Results: The MANCOVA test showed significant differences among the three groups for all eating styles, with emotional eating being more typical in the OB group and restrained eating more typical in the AN group. Partial correlation analyses showed relationships between emotional and external eating and BMI, as well as relationships with different temperament and character traits. The stepwise discriminant function analysis showed that the DEBQ correctly classified 65.6% of the sample into the three weight categories; when combined with the TCI-R, correct classification increased to 72.6%. Conclusions: Weight conditions showed different eating behaviour patterns. Temperament and character traits were related to eating behaviours. DEBQ and TCI-R were able to discriminate between groups. Differences in eating styles in the weight groups can have implications for understanding the development and maintenance of OB and ED.