Simone Claire Behrens1,2, Paolo Meneguzzo3, Angela Favaro3,4, Martin Teufel5, Eva-Maria Skoda5, Marion Lindner5, Lukas Walder1, Alejandra Quiros Ramirez2,6, Stephan Zipfel1, Betty Mohler2, Michael Black2, Katrin E Giel1. 1. Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. 2. Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, Germany. 3. Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padova, Italy. 4. Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padova, Italy. 5. Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Duisburg-Essen, LVR University-Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany. 6. Psychology Department, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study provides a comprehensive assessment of own body representation and linguistic representation of bodies in general in women with typical and atypical anorexia nervosa (AN). METHODS: In a series of desktop experiments, participants rated a set of adjectives according to their match with a series of computer generated bodies varying in body mass index, and generated prototypic body shapes for the same set of adjectives. We analysed how body mass index of the bodies was associated with positive or negative valence of the adjectives in the different groups. Further, body image and own body perception were assessed. RESULTS: In a German-Italian sample comprising 39 women with AN, 20 women with atypical AN and 40 age matched control participants, we observed effects indicative of weight stigmatization, but no significant differences between the groups. Generally, positive adjectives were associated with lean bodies, whereas negative adjectives were associated with obese bodies. DISCUSSION: Our observations suggest that patients with both typical and atypical AN affectively and visually represent body descriptions not differently from healthy women. We conclude that overvaluation of low body weight and fear of weight gain cannot be explained by generally distorted perception or cognition, but require individual consideration.
OBJECTIVE: This study provides a comprehensive assessment of own body representation and linguistic representation of bodies in general in women with typical and atypical anorexia nervosa (AN). METHODS: In a series of desktop experiments, participants rated a set of adjectives according to their match with a series of computer generated bodies varying in body mass index, and generated prototypic body shapes for the same set of adjectives. We analysed how body mass index of the bodies was associated with positive or negative valence of the adjectives in the different groups. Further, body image and own body perception were assessed. RESULTS: In a German-Italian sample comprising 39 women with AN, 20 women with atypical AN and 40 age matched control participants, we observed effects indicative of weight stigmatization, but no significant differences between the groups. Generally, positive adjectives were associated with lean bodies, whereas negative adjectives were associated with obese bodies. DISCUSSION: Our observations suggest that patients with both typical and atypical AN affectively and visually represent body descriptions not differently from healthy women. We conclude that overvaluation of low body weight and fear of weight gain cannot be explained by generally distorted perception or cognition, but require individual consideration.
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