The objective of the proposed study is to investigate the disturbance of body size representation at the various levels of attitude, image and schema (1). It will be tested whether 1) AN patients have relatively a high level of negative body…
ID
Source
Brief title
Condition
- Eating disorders and disturbances
Synonym
Research involving
Sponsors and support
Intervention
Outcome measures
Primary outcome
With the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) and Physical Appearance State and Trait
Anxiety Scale: State (PASTAS: State) the attitudes about the own body will be
measured. The Distance comparison task (DCT) will be used to assess the level
of disturbance in the visual mental body image. By administering the Two Point
Discrimination (TPD) task it will be investigated whether body schema is
disturbed.
In study 2 and 3 body attitudes will be measured with the BSQ, PASTAS: State
and Body Checking Scale. Tactile body image will be assessed with the Tactile
Estimation Task (actual retrieved image) and TPT task (receptor
density/sensitivity).
Secondary outcome
Establish whether there is a difference in tactile scores between the two
conditions (i.e. imaginary and mirror condition) administered in the TPD task
(study 1, 2 and 3) and TET (study 2 and 3).
Background summary
Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is one of the most invasive psychosomatic disorders with
a relatively high mortality rate. To ensure successful treatment it is
important to fully understand the underlying mechanisms of the disorder. To
date it is still unclear why AN patients experience their body as fat, while in
reality they are too thin. Previous research on body image is characterized by
outdated theory and methodology, therefore the present study proposes a new
theory that is based on *top-down* (i.e. focusing on patient-related reasoning)
processes instead of *bottom-up* (i.e. focusing on encoding of bodily features
as external stimulus) processes. This theory allows us to formulate hypotheses
about 1) the mental representations of body size involved in the disturbance,
and 2) the causal relation between these representations. With regard to 2) it
is hypothesized that the negative attitudes and cognitions about the own body,
characteristic of AN, exert a negative influence on the visual mental body
image causing it to become too fat. In turn, we expect that negative attitudes
and cognitions regarding the body can also influence the body image at a
tactile level. Following this line of reasoning, and in relation to 1), we
predict that patients with AN who demonstrate *fat* body attitudes, have a
disturbance of visual body image, and of tactile body image.
Study objective
The objective of the proposed study is to investigate the disturbance of body
size representation at the various levels of attitude, image and schema (1).
It will be tested whether 1) AN patients have relatively a high level of
negative body attitudes; 2) AN patients have a distorted ("fat") body image; 3)
AN patients have a disturbed body schema; 4) the expected disturbances in body
attitudes, body image, and body schema correlate with each other. Novel methods
will be used to assess body image and body schema.
The objective of study 2 is to clarify whether the tactile body image of AN
patients is disturbed compared to healthy controls. If so, it will be
investigated at which levels tactile body image is disturbed, how tactile body
image relates to body attitudes and how the TPT task and TET scores relate to
each other. This is also the objective of study 3, only in this study we will
compare females with high levels of body dissatisfaction and females with low
levels of body dissatisfaction.
Study design
correlational
Study burden and risks
It is not expected, but theoretically possible that the participants experience
negative emotions during the study, however the used methods are the least
invasive tasks that are suitable for adequately testing the hypotheses.
Further, the knowledge gained with the present research does not only deepen
the insight in the underlying mechanism of AN, but also has implications for
improving treatment approaches: The benefits clearly outweigh the costs.
Heidelberglaan 1
3508 TC Utrecht
Nederland
Heidelberglaan 1
3508 TC Utrecht
Nederland
Listed location countries
Age
Inclusion criteria
Patients in study 1 and 2: Female, between 18 and 35 years of age, diagnosed with Anorexia.;Controls in study 1 and 2: Female, between 18 and 35 years of age, initially a BMI between 19 and 25, normal range of scores on body dysphoria, no current severe mental health problems. If after weighing and measuring the participant it appears that her BMI is not between 19 and 25, her results wil only be excluded from data analyses if her BMI is below 18 or above 26. This will prevent throwing away data. (Note that in study 2 only female students will participate);Study 3: Female students between 18 and 35 years of age, studying at Utrecht University, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, normal BMI, no current psychiatric problems/disorder. Scores on body dissatisfaction in the highest or lowest quartile of the Body Shape Questionnaire.
Exclusion criteria
Patients in study 1 and 2: Male, under 18 or above 35 years of age, not diagnosed with AN, physical disabilities or diseases that affect the ability to hear and/or see, and conditions that increase or decrease the sensitivity of the skin, use of medication that may influence task performance due to e.g. drowsiness (study 1 only), auto-mutilation on the body parts of interest (in study 1 and 2; forearm and belly, in study 1: hand and thigh), objection to receiving stimuli that are lightly pressed on the skin, objection to remove clothing from the body parts of interest, comorbid Borderline or 'contact disorder'. If the therapist has reasons to believe that the patient is emotionally (or otherwise) not able to participate in the research, this will lead to exclusion.;Controls study 1 and 2: Male, under 18 or above 35 years of age, BMI below 19 or above 25 (or after weighing and measuring below 18 or above 26), scores on body dysphoria outside the normal range, physical disabilities or diseases that affect the ability to hear and/or see, and conditions that increase or decrease the sensitivity of the skin, use of medication that may influence task performance due to e.g. drowsiness (study 1 only), auto-mutilation on the body parts of interest (study 1 and 2: forearm and belly, study 1: thigh and hand), objection to receiving stimuli that are lightly pressed on the skin, objection to remove clothing from the body parts of interest, current diagnosis of a psychological disorder.;Study 3: Same as controls in study 2, only in study 3 scores on body dysphoria inside the normal range will lead to exclusion.;None of the participants should not be pregnant at the time of testing, because this can significantly influence how body size is experienced.
Design
Recruitment
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In other registers
| Register | ID |
|---|---|
| CCMO | NL25572.041.08 |