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Porto, Portugal | September 20-22, 2012
51
F38
ECOLOGICAL MOMENTARY ASSESSMENT OF PROX-
IMAL AFFECTIVE EXPERIENCES DURING A BULIMIC
EPISODE
Stephanie Knatz
1, 2
, Milton Brown
2
, Sharon Foster
2
, Kerri
Boutelle
1
1
University of California, San Diego, CA, USA,
2
Alliant Interna-
tional University, San Diego, CA, USA
Introduction. Despite extensive research documenting the role
of negative affect in bulimic behaviors, little is known about
the immediate effect of binging and purging on specific emo-
tions. The present study examined patterns of six different
emotions over the course of a binge-purge episode in an effort
to understand momentary affective experiences immediately
preceding and following bulimic behaviors. Methods. Thirty
women with bulimic symptoms provided momentary ratings
of shame, guilt, disgust, anxiety, sadness, and happiness at
three discrete time points immediately preceding and follow-
ing bulimic behaviors (pre-binge, post-binge, and post-purge).
Repeated measures ANOVA and t-tests were used to identify
changes in affect levels over the course of a bulimic episode.
Results. Engaging in a binge episode resulted in a significant
decrease in happiness ratings and significant increases in all
types of negative affect, except for sadness (
p <
.001) Ratings
of anxiety and disgust significantly decreased after purging,
relative to after binging (
p
<001;
p
<.01 respectively). There
were no significant changes in other emotion levels as a result
of purging. Anxiety was the only emotion that decreased
significantly as a result of engaging in a bulimic episode,
with post-purge ratings being significantly lower than pre-
binge ratings (
p
<.02). Conversely, participants experienced
elevations in shame, guilt, and disgust as a result of a binge-
purge episode (
p
<.001). Conclusions. Results from this study
suggest that binging elicits self-conscious emotions such as
shame, guilt, and disgust. These emotions do not appear to
be as sensitive to purging behaviors. Data also indicate that
reductions in anxiety resulting from purging may serve as a
maintenance factor for bulimic episodes. Accordingly, expo-
sure and response prevention may be effective in reducing
binge-purge episodes by targeting experiental avoidance
of anxiety. This study presents a refined picture of affective
experiences immediately around bulimic episodes. Patterns
of specific emotions over the course of a bulimic episode, like
those revealed in this study, can be used to augment treat-
ments by allowing for proximal antecedents and consequenc-
es to be targeted more specifically.
F39
A hierarchical model of emotions recognition
Yael latzer
1,2
, Michal Hason Rozenstein
1,2
, Lily Rothschild
Yakar
1,3
, Daniel Stein
3
, Zohar Eviatar
1
1
University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel,
2
Rambam medical center,
Haifa, Israel,
3
Sheba medical center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
The aim of the study was to test whether the ability to under-
stand complex social situations is connected to the ability
to perceive and name basic and complex emotions. We
propose a hierarchical mode that predicted that high level
of social understanding is based on basic levels of emotion
understanding and Theory of Mind (ToM). People with eating
disorders and their family members often report difficulties in
social understanding. Thus, the model was tested among a
group of women with and without eating disorder as a within
subject model, and among healthy young female psychology
students (in the pilot study). Method: Participants: 34 health
mothers-daughter dyads and 31 mothers-daughters dyads
with an eating disorder (as one experimental heterogenic
group, N=130). And 45 healthy students that participated in
the pilot study. Participants completed five computerized tasks
including naming and understanding emotions and self report
alexythimia questionnaire (TAS). Results: Significant but low
correlations were found between the naming and ToM task,
the SI task and the TAS. However, stronger correlations were
found between the three levels of the SI task. Conclusions:
The ability to understand complex social situation is connect-
ed to the ability to understand simple emotions and motiva-
tions (without social context). However, the ability to name
basic emotions and the ToM abilities may be connected to
different mechanism for simple emotional tasks and complex
ones.
F40
Anger processing among mothers of daughters with
binge/purge eating disorders
Yael Latzer
1,2
, Michal Hason Rozenstein
1,2
, Lily Rothschild
Yakar
1,3
, Daniel Stein
3
, Zohar Eviatar
1
1
University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel,
2
Rambam medical center,
Haifa, Israel,
3
Sheba medical center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
Objectivs:
individuals with binge/purge eating disor-
ders,(B/P-ED) often report difficulties in understanding
emotional social situations and difficulties being understood.
The aim was to evaluate the ability to recognize and happy
vs. happy emotional expressions within the left and right
hemispheres among young females with B/P-ED and their
mothers.
Method
: 31 Mothers-daughters dyads with B/P-ED
were compared to 34 healthy dyads. Participants were asked
to match two photos of emotional faces according the emotion
presented or according the identity of the actor presented on
two separate tasks. In the emotion’s task they were asked
to focus on the emotion and ignore the identity and on the
identity task – to ignore the emotion. Photos represented
happy or angry expressions in a split visual field paradigm.
Accuracy and response time (RT) were measured.
Results:
Participants were slower and less accurate when presented
with angry expression in both tasks. However, the moth-
ers of daughters with ED performance was different. Their
performance was not more accurate, but their RT was fast
(speed-accuracy trade off) especially at the left visual field.
Conclusions:
It is possible that mothers of daughters with
ED have specific difficulty to tolerate negative emotions and
especially anger with a tendency to react impulsively. This
may be connected to their daughters’ illness in a manner of
developing and maintaining the disorder. This difficulty should
be considered during therapy.
F41
NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING IN CHILDREN
AND ADOLESCENTS WITH ANOREXIA NERVOSA BE-
FORE AND AFTER COGNITIVE REMEDIATION THERAPY
(CRT)
Camilla Lindvall Dahlgren
1
, Bryan Lask
1,2,3
, Øyvind Rø
1
1
Oslo University Hospital, Ullevål HF, Oslo, Norway,
2
Gt.
Ormond St. Hospital, London, United Kingdom,
3
Ellern Mede
Centre, London, United Kingdom
Introduction:
Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) aims at
improving neuropsychological weaknesses and associated
thinking styles in patients with anorexia nervosa. It has only
recently been developed for children and adolescents with
anorexia nervosa, and has yet to be formally evaluated. This
study reports an evaluation of CRT for this patient group
using the neuropsychological test battery “the Ravello Profile”.
Methods:
20 in- and outpatients (13-20 years) with anorex-
ia nervosa participated in 10-12 CRT sessions each lasting
30-45 minutes. The CRT material used were those found
in our “CRT Resource Pack” (www.rasp.no). Assessments
were made shortly before and after treatment.
Results:
Preliminary analyses yielded significant improvements in
visuo-spatial memory, central coherence, letter- and category
fluency and inhibition. No significant changes were found in
other domains such as flexibility and planning.
Conclusions:
CRT is a promising add-on treatment for children and adoles-
cents with anorexia nervosa, and is well received by patients.
However, several limitations such as a short test-retest time
span, a small sample size and potential retest-effetcts make
interpretations of results challenging. In addition, contrasting
clinical impressions indicate that future research might benefit
from exploring additional measures when testing the efficacy
of CRT.
POSTER SESSION 2 ABSTRACTS