Emotional and non‐emotional facets of impulsivity in eating disorders: From anorexia nervosa to bulimic spectrum disorders

Abstract

ObjectiveImpulsivity and difficulties in regulating emotions are considered to be transdiagnostic characteristics of patients with eating disorders (EDs). The study aimed to investigate trait impulsivity and inhibitory components of impulsivity, related or unrelated to emotions in patients with EDs.MethodA total of 17 patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), 16 patients with bulimic‐spectrum EDs (BSD) and 20 healthy control (HC) participants completed an impulsivity scale (UPPS‐P) before performing an emotional inhibitory control task during electroencephalography (EEG) acquisition.ResultsHigher trait impulsivity in EDs than HC (with higher scores among BSD patients) was observed. However, no differences in behavioural measures or neural indexes [event‐related potential (ERP)] of emotional and non‐emotional inhibitory control were observed between patients and HC.ConclusionThe present results highlighted negative urgency, an impulsive personality trait related to emotions, as a common feature of AN and BSD. Lack of perseverance, a trait which is less related to emotions, specifically characterises patients with BSD. On the other hand, behavioural and ERP data did not show altered inhibitory control in EDs, for either general or emotional‐related response inhibition.

Drive for thinness provides an alternative, more meaningful, severity indicator than the DSM‐5 severity indices for eating disorders

“…Our findings also agree with the broader impulsivity literature in EDs. These studies have shown that impulsive behaviours are linked to ED symptom severity (Mallorqui-Bague et al, 2020;Todisco et al, 2020;Waxman, 2009;Puccio et al, 2019) and a poorer prognosis (Aguera et al, 2017;Fischer, Peterson, & McCarthy, 2013). Our conclusion is, therefore, that, in the absence of sufficient and robust evidence, caution should be exercised regarding conclusive statements suggestive of the validity of the DSM-5 severity specifiers.…”

Attitudes Surrounding Music of Patients With Anorexia Nervosa: A Survey-Based Mixed-Methods Analysis

“…Nonetheless, from a psychotherapeutic perspective, even negative emotions such as anger elicited by music could be therapeutically helpful, because patients with AN have difficulties with expressing these negative emotions. Recognition, regulation, and expression of emotions are deemed to be highly relevant psychotherapeutic aspects in people with EDs (14). This would enable the therapist and the patient to get access to negative emotions and work through processing them.…”

Beyond difficulties in self-regulation: the role of identity integration and personality functioning in young women with disordered eating behaviours

“…[ 41 ]). Although clinically associated with the presence of binge eating, impulsivity and impulsive behaviour are not uncommon among other ED subtypes, including restricting anorexia nervosa [ 18 ], with impulsivity being more recently considered as a transdiagnostic characteristic of individuals with EDs [ 31 ]. Considering that impulsivity in EDs has also been associated with poorer prognosis [ 33 ], the importance of further investigating the role of impulsivity in the development and onset of DEB has recently been called upon.…”

“…Known for its multifactorial origin, extensive research has been done on the etiology of DEB [ 39 ]. In particular, psychological factors involved in self-regulation – namely emotion regulation [ 32 ], effortful control [ 12 ] and impulsivity [ 31 ] – and impairments in identity and self-functioning [ 51 ] have consistently been associated with ED symptomatology. While extensive research has been done on the individual contributions of these variables, the existing study is the first to investigate the role of identity disturbance in explaining the relation between core deficits in self-regulation and DEBs.…”