Do emotional responses to food images differ within different types of eating disorders?

To investigate emotional responses to food images in women with eating disorders (EDs) and healthy controls (HCs); and in underweight individuals post weight-restoration. Women (>14 years) with (n = 139) and without (n = 41) an ED rated food images evoking fear, disgust and happiness on a three-visual-analogue scale. Underweight participants viewed the images at two time-points; pre- and post-weight-restoration. HCs were significantly happier, less fearful/anxious prior to viewing the images compared with EDs. Negative emotional responses when viewing images were significantly greater (p < .001) in EDs compared with HCs; however, groups did not differ in happiness. Emotional responses were not significantly different within the ED groups. At post weight-restoration, individuals were significantly less anxious/disgusted when viewing the images. The importance of considering emotional responses when discussing food consumption in EDs trans-diagnostically is highlighted. Weight recovery reduces negative food responses, although responses remained high in comparison to HCs.

Citation

Nasim Foroughi, Sloane Madden, Simon Clarke, Michael Kohn, Brooke Donnelly, Stephen Touyz, Phillipa Hay. Do emotional responses to food images differ within different types of eating disorders? Australasian psychiatry : bulletin of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. 2020 Apr;28(2):128-133

Mesh Tags

PMID: 30113878

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