Socio‐cognitive processing in people with eating disorders: Computerized tests of mentalizing, empathy and imitation skills

Corsi, Elisa; Cardi, Valentina; Sowden, Sophie; Coll, Michel-Pierre; Cascino, Giammarco; Ricca, Valdo; Treasure, Janet; Bird, Geoffrey; Monteleone, Alessio Maria

doi:10.1002/eat.23556

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Despite differences in their clinical manifestations, people with eating disorders (EDs) often experience interpersonal problems and difficulties with social cognition that negatively affect their social functioning, quality of life, and daily activities [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. Different psychological elements have been related to dysfunctional eating behaviors and interpersonal difficulties [ 6 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Virtual Rejection and Overinclusion in Eating Disorders: An Experimental Investigation of the Impact on Emotions, Stress Perception, and Food Attitudes

et al. 2023

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(1) Background: the investigation of how interpersonal functioning affects eating psychopathology has been receiving increasing attention in the last decade. This study evaluates the impact of virtual social inclusion or ostracism on emotions, perceived stress, eating psychopathology, and the drive to binge or restrict in patients across the eating disorder spectrum. (2) Methods: a group of 122 adolescent and adult females with different eating disorder diagnoses were compared to 50 healthy peers with regards to their performance on, and responses to the Cyberball task, a virtual ball-tossing game. Each participant was randomly assigned to playing a social inclusion or a social exclusion block of the Cyberball task and completed self-report assessments of emotions, perceived stress and urge to restrict/binge before and after the task. (3) Results: patients with anorexia nervosa showed a more negative impact on psychological well-being evaluated with the need threat scale after the excluding block, while patients with bulimia nervosa reported more negative effects after the overincluding condition. Patients with binge eating disorder showed a reduction in specific negative emotions after the overincluding block, unlike all other participants. (4) Conclusions: findings show significant correlations between restraint thoughts in patients with bulimia nervosa and binge thoughts in patients with binge eating disorder after being exposed to the inclusion condition. Different reactions in cognitive and emotional states of patients with eating disorders after different interpersonal scenarios confirm the impact of inclusive or exclusive relationships on eating psychopathology, with specific and different responses across the eating disorder spectrum, that have been discussed, linked to their eating behavioral cognition.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Virtual Rejection and Overinclusion in Eating Disorders: An Experimental Investigation of the Impact on Emotions, Stress Perception, and Food Attitudes

et al. 2023

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“…One study found a tendency toward hypomentalizing among patients with ED (Cucchi et al, 2018), whereas another only found a tendency for hypermentalizing in this group (Cortés-García et al, 2020) and a third study found a tendency for both mentalizing impairments among ED patients (Corsi et al, 2021). Nevertheless, the results of a network…”

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confidence: 85%

Mentalizing ability, mentalizing impairments, and anorexia nervosa: Validation of the Hebrew version of the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC)

Sarig-Shmueli

Kurman

Talmon

et al. 2023

Clin Psychology and Psychoth

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The goal of this study was to validate the Hebrew version of the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC)—an ecological measure for assessing mentalizing ability—among patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and healthy individuals. We examined the validity of the MASC's general mentalizing ability scale and of its mentalizing impairments subscales using validated measures of mentalizing ability (Reading the Mind in the Eyes test, Cambridge Mindreading Face‐Voice Battery, and Reflective Function questionnaire) among female patients with AN (N = 35) and control participants (N = 42). ED symptoms were assessed via self‐report questionnaires. The MASCHeb correlated with measures of mentalizing ability and was found to significantly differentiate patients with AN from controls. In addition to differing on general mental ability, the groups differed on hypomentalizing (but not hypermentalizing). Based on our findings, the MASCHeb proved to be an ecologically valid tool for assessing mentalizing ability and impairments among patients with AN. Moreover, our findings demonstrated the role played by general mentalizing ability in EDs and specifically pointed to the importance of hypomentalization in EDs. These findings have therapeutic implications, as outlined in the Discussion section.

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“…However, clarity refers to the understanding of emotional experiences and the ability to differentiate between affective states, acceptance of emotions refers to the extent to which one accepts or rejects emotional experiences. Deranged emotion recognition has been detected in individuals with EDs (Oldershaw et al., 2011), but not through experimental methods (Corsi et al., 2021). Recently, the acceptance of emotions has been considered essential for adaptive emotion regulation: individuals who respond to their emotions with acceptance and a desire to understand and learn from them would generally be expected to functionally use their emotions to pursue valued actions (Gratz & Tull, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emotional non‐acceptance mediates the relationship between insecure attachment and specific psychopathology in women with eating disorders

Cascino

Ceres

Donato

et al. 2023

Euro Eating Disorders Rev

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Objective: Insecure attachment is considered a general risk factor for eating disorders (ED). Emotion dysregulation has been proposed as one of the possible mechanisms by which attachment insecurity may affect ED psychopathology. Aim of the present study was to investigate whether difficulties in acceptance of emotions or emotional clarity may mediate the connection between insecure attachment and ED psychopathology.Method: One hundred and twenty patients participated and completed the Italian version of Eating Disorder Inventory-2, Experience in Close Relationship questionnaire and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. A mediator path model was performed, in which insecure attachment dimensions were set as independent variables, ED specific psychopathology measures as dependent variables, and non-acceptance of emotion and lack of emotional clarity as mediators. Results:The association between both attachment avoidance and anxiety and ED specific symptoms was mediated by emotional non-acceptance, but not by emotional clarity. Conclusions:This study showed the importance to address emotion regulation in individuals with ED, focussing on improving emotional acceptance.Exploring early developmental processes which lead to non-acceptance of emotions could improve this psychological trait in people with ED.

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Socio‐cognitive processing in people with eating disorders: Computerized tests of mentalizing, empathy and imitation skills

Cited by 15 publications

References 51 publications

Virtual Rejection and Overinclusion in Eating Disorders: An Experimental Investigation of the Impact on Emotions, Stress Perception, and Food Attitudes

Virtual Rejection and Overinclusion in Eating Disorders: An Experimental Investigation of the Impact on Emotions, Stress Perception, and Food Attitudes

Mentalizing ability, mentalizing impairments, and anorexia nervosa: Validation of the Hebrew version of the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC)

Emotional non‐acceptance mediates the relationship between insecure attachment and specific psychopathology in women with eating disorders

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