Overcoming limitations of self-report: an assessment of fear of weight gain in anorexia nervosa and healthy controls using implicit association tests

Borgers, Tiana; Krüger, Nathalie; Vocks, Silja; Thomas, Jennifer J.; Plessow, Franziska; Hartmann, Andrea S.

doi:10.1186/s40337-021-00379-8

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 51 publications

(45 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In recent years, intensive research has resulted with regard to the significance of weight gain anxiety for the onset and maintenance of eating disorders [24,25]. The aim of this study was to indicate the components of anxiety as measured by the BMAS-20 scale and to compare the characteristics of the two constructs in order to better understand their origins and the functions they play.…”

Section: Study 3-characteristics Of Anxiety Related To Weight Changementioning

confidence: 99%

I Don’t Want to Be Thin! Fear of Weight Change Is Not Just a Fear of Obesity: Research on the Body Mass Anxiety Scale

Styk

Wojtowicz²,

Zmorzyński

2023

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Anxiety is one of the psychological factors associated with body weight experienced by people attempting to live up to expectations of an ideal body shape. The stigma of excessive or too low body weight and the stigmatization of people because of it is becoming a widespread problem with negative psychological and social consequences. One effect of the strong social pressure of beauty standards dependent on low body weight is the development of eating disorders and negative societal attitudes toward overweight or obese people. Research conducted to date has mainly focused on one dimension of weight-related anxiety—the fear of getting fat. Ongoing research has also revealed the other side of weight-related anxiety—fear of weight loss. Therefore, the purpose of the present project was to develop a two-dimensional scale to diagnose the level of weight-related anxiety and to preliminarily test the psychometric properties of the emerging constructs. Results: the BMAS-20 weight-related anxiety scale in both Polish and English versions was developed and its psychometric properties were confirmed. The components of body weight-change anxiety that emerged were: anxiety about getting fat and anxiety about losing weight. It was found that both AGF and ALW may have a protective function related to awareness of the negative consequences of poor eating and the health risks associated with it. Above-normal levels of anxiety may be a predictor of psychopathology. Both AGF and ALW are associated with symptoms of depression.

show abstract

Section: Study 3-characteristics Of Anxiety Related To Weight Changementioning

confidence: 99%

I Don’t Want to Be Thin! Fear of Weight Change Is Not Just a Fear of Obesity: Research on the Body Mass Anxiety Scale

Styk

Wojtowicz²,

Zmorzyński

2023

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Interestingly, in some studies the fear of losing self-control has been found to be the most important predictor of eating disorders [21,22]. Previous studies showing a positive relationship between weight gain anxiety and psychopathological behaviors have focused mainly on bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa [23,24]. Styk et al [20] have drawn attention to yet another aspect related to the anxiety experienced by patients with eating disorders, which is the anxiety about losing weight.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity of Binge-Eating Disorder Symptoms Is Associated with Anxiety about Getting Fat Rather Than Body Image: A Clinical Study of Women in Poland

Lewandowska,

Klinkosz,

Styk

et al. 2023

Nutrients

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Anxiety about gaining weight is strongly related to body image. Evidence indicates that body dissatisfaction is a strong predictor of eating disorder development. Although not included in DSM-V diagnostic criteria, body image dissatisfaction, and concern are clearly relevant also for individuals with binge-eating disorder (BED). Weight gain anxiety is associated with psychopathological behaviors, but existing research in this area is primarily focused on bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. The goal of this present study was to investigate body image and body mass anxiety in people with BED. Methods: Women diagnosed with BED (n = 105) aged 18 to 66 were surveyed using the questionnaire developed by the authors evaluating the presence of BED symptoms based on DSM-V criteria, and two other instruments: the Body Esteem Scale (BES), and the Body Mass Anxiety Scale (BMAS-20). Statistical analyses were conducted to examine the correlations of BED with body image and body mass anxiety (Pearson’s r), to test differences between groups with greater and lesser BED symptom diversity (Student’s t-test or the Mann–Whitney U test), and to assess differences among mild-, moderate- and severe-BED groups (ANOVA with a post-hoc test). Results: A medium positive relationship was found between anxiety about getting fat (AGF) and the diversity of BED, measured as the number of BED symptoms. A larger number of BED symptoms was shown to be associated with a higher level of AGF. However, no significant differences in AGF levels were observed among BED-severity groups, specified with the frequency of binge eating episodes. No correlations were found between BED and body image. There were also no significant differences in body image between groups with a larger and a smaller number of BED symptoms. The only significant difference in body image observed among BED-severity groups was the level of weight concern. People with mild BED displayed a higher level of weight concern than those with severe BED. Conclusions: Women who binge eat experience high levels of AGF. In the present study, AGF was primarily associated with the number of BED symptoms and not the rate of recurrence of binge-eating episodes. The frequency of BED episodes, however, was linked with weight concern. On the other hand, the hypothesized relationship between disturbed body image and BED was not confirmed. The findings indicate that anxiety about getting fat should be viewed as one of the psychological costs incurred by women experiencing BED symptoms, and it should be mentioned in the next DSM version.

show abstract

Measuring implicit associations between food and body stimuli in anorexia nervosa: a Go/No-Go Association Task

Lakritz,

Iceta,

Duriez

et al. 2023

Eat Weight Disord

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose The present study aimed to explore the implicit associations between food and bodily stimuli in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and control subjects (HC). Methods A Go/No-Go Association Task was administrated to 55 participants (28 AN and 27 HC), using food stimuli (low-calorie food vs. high-calorie food) and body stimuli (underweight vs. overweight bodies). Results We evidenced an implicit association between food and body stimuli in the AN group, whereas the HC group only showed a tendency. AN and HC groups also exhibited different categorization strategies: the AN group tended to categorize stimuli as low-calorie foods and underweight bodies less than the HC group, and they tended to categorize stimuli as high-calorie foods and overweight bodies more than the HC group. Conclusion The present study revealed for the first time specificities of the AN population’s implicit association between food and body stimuli in terms of association strength and categorization strategy. Furthermore, the results suggest that combining implicit methodologies with other methods could contribute to a better characterization of the physiopathology of AN. Level of evidence Level I, experimental study.

show abstract

Overcoming limitations of self-report: an assessment of fear of weight gain in anorexia nervosa and healthy controls using implicit association tests

Cited by 6 publications

References 51 publications

I Don’t Want to Be Thin! Fear of Weight Change Is Not Just a Fear of Obesity: Research on the Body Mass Anxiety Scale

I Don’t Want to Be Thin! Fear of Weight Change Is Not Just a Fear of Obesity: Research on the Body Mass Anxiety Scale

Diversity of Binge-Eating Disorder Symptoms Is Associated with Anxiety about Getting Fat Rather Than Body Image: A Clinical Study of Women in Poland

Measuring implicit associations between food and body stimuli in anorexia nervosa: a Go/No-Go Association Task

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About