Thinking about internal states, a qualitative investigation into metacognitions in women with eating disorders

Abstract

BackgroundThere is a need for qualitative research to help develop case conceptualisations to guide the development of Metacognitive Therapy interventions for Eating Disorders.MethodA qualitative study informed by grounded theory methodology was conducted involving open-ended interviews with 27 women aged 18–55 years, who were seeking or receiving treatment for a diagnosed ED.ResultsThe categories identified in this study appeared to be consistent with a metacognitive model including constructs of a Cognitive Attentional Syndrome and metacognitive beliefs. These categories appear to be transdiagnostic, and the interaction between the categories is proposed to explain the maintenance of EDs.ConclusionsThe transdiagnostic model proposed may be useful to guide the development of future metacognitive therapy interventions for EDs with the hope that this will lead to improved outcomes for individuals with EDs.

The Transdiagnostic Nature of Metacognitions in Women With Eating Disorders

“…The conceptualization of a continuum of metacognition in EDs may also account for the temporal migration that occurs between ED diagnoses, whereby patients with EDs tend to move between diagnostic categories (Fairburn & Harrison, 2003;Keel & Brown, 2010). It is possible that metacognition plays a role in this migration between ED diagnoses, as patients may come to endorse different metacognitive constructs more strongly over time, perhaps due to the self-reinforcing nature of the proposed metacognitive processes existing within EDs (Vann et al, 2013). Metacognitions may therefore be an important target for interventions aimed at not only reducing ED symptomatology but also aimed at reducing temporal migration.…”

“…All coding was conducted from transcriptions and was done in line with grounded theory methodology (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Details of the methodology for the qualitative analysis are presented in Vann et al (2013).…”

“…Qualitative data was originally collected as part of a previous study presented by Vann et al (2013).…”

Metacognitions mediate HIV stigma and depression/anxiety in men who have sex with men living with HIV

“…An attentional bias towards threat cues and ineffective coping strategies are then linked to the maintenance of psychological disorders (Wells and Carter, 2009; Wells and Davies, 1994). While Well’s metacognitive model was initially developed to explain the pathology of anxiety and depression, more recent developments have shown the application of the model to other forms of psychopathology such as alcohol misuse (Spada et al, 2013) and eating disorders (Vann et al, 2013). …”

Öğretmen Adaylarında Bilişsel Farkındalık Düzeyleri, Öznel Mutluluk ve Sıkıntıyı Tolere Etme Arasındaki Yordayıcı İlişkiler

“…Bu durumda olan bireylerin zihin oyalaması (dikkat dağıtma), bastırma-kaçınma, olumsuz düşüncelerin sürekli incelenmesi ve sosyal çekilme gibi işlevsel olmayan baş etme yollarına başvurdukları belirlenmiştir. Bilişsel farkındalık terapisi yoluyla düşüncelerin sağlıklı yorumlanması ve kabulü, işlevsel olmayan başa çıkma yollarının işlevsel olanlarla değiştirilmesi sağlanmış olacak ve sıkıntı olarak algılanan durumlarla baş etmede etkin yollar bulunabileceği belirtilmiştir (Vann, Strodl ve Anderson, 2013).…”