Greet S Kuipers1, Zara van Loenhout1, L Andries van der Ark2, Marrie H J Bekker3. 1. a GGZ Breburg, Unit for Eating Disorders , Tilburg , The Netherlands. 2. b Research Institute of Child Development and Education , University of Amsterdam , Amsterdam , The Netherlands. 3. c Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology , Tilburg University , Tilburg , The Netherlands.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationships of attachment security and mentalization with core and co-morbid symptoms in eating disorder patients. METHOD: We compared 51 eating disorder patients at the start of intensive treatment and 20 healthy controls on attachment, mentalization, eating disorder symptoms, depression, anxiety, personality disorders, psycho-neuroticism, autonomy problems and self-injurious behavior, using the Adult Attachment Interview, the SCID-I and II and several questionnaires. RESULTS: Compared with the controls, the eating disorder patients showed a higher prevalence of insecure attachment; eating disorder patients more often than controls received the AAI classification Unresolved for loss or abuse. They also had a lower level of mentalization and more autonomy problems. In the patient group eating disorder symptoms, depression, anxiety, psycho-neuroticism and autonomy problems were neither related to attachment security nor to mentalization; self-injurious behavior was associated with lesser attachment security and lower mentalization; borderline personality disorder was related to lower mentalization. In the control group no relations were found between attachment, mentalization and psychopathologic variables. DISCUSSION: Eating disorder patients' low level of mentalization suggests the usefulness of Mentalization Based Treatment techniques for eating disorder treatment, especially in case of self-injurious behavior and/or co-morbid borderline personality disorder.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationships of attachment security and mentalization with core and co-morbid symptoms in eating disorderpatients. METHOD: We compared 51 eating disorderpatients at the start of intensive treatment and 20 healthy controls on attachment, mentalization, eating disorder symptoms, depression, anxiety, personality disorders, psycho-neuroticism, autonomy problems and self-injurious behavior, using the Adult Attachment Interview, the SCID-I and II and several questionnaires. RESULTS: Compared with the controls, the eating disorderpatients showed a higher prevalence of insecure attachment; eating disorderpatients more often than controls received the AAI classification Unresolved for loss or abuse. They also had a lower level of mentalization and more autonomy problems. In the patient group eating disorder symptoms, depression, anxiety, psycho-neuroticism and autonomy problems were neither related to attachment security nor to mentalization; self-injurious behavior was associated with lesser attachment security and lower mentalization; borderline personality disorder was related to lower mentalization. In the control group no relations were found between attachment, mentalization and psychopathologic variables. DISCUSSION: Eating disorderpatients' low level of mentalization suggests the usefulness of Mentalization Based Treatment techniques for eating disorder treatment, especially in case of self-injurious behavior and/or co-morbid borderline personality disorder.
Authors: Greet S Kuipers; Sandra den Hollander; L Andries van der Ark; Marrie H J Bekker Journal: Eat Weight Disord Date: 2017-06-22 Impact factor: 4.652
Authors: Almut Zeeck; Svenja Taubner; Thorsten C Gablonski; Inga Lau; Stephan Zipfel; Wolfgang Herzog; Beate Wild; Hans-Christoph Friederich; Gaby Resmark; Katrin Giel; Martin Teufel; Markus Burgmer; Andreas Dinkel; Stephan Herpertz; Bernd Löwe; Sefik Tagay; Jörn von Wietersheim; Martina De Zwaan; Max Zettl; Alexander F Meier; Armin Hartmann Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2022-05-23 Impact factor: 5.435