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Drury CR, Armeli S, Loeb KL. Body checking and avoidance among dancers. Eat Behav 2024; 54:101897. [PMID: 38865853 DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2024.101897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Dancers are at heightened risk for eating disorders (EDs) and have job and training demands that obscure ED assessment and likely impede treatment. Two behavioral manifestations of ED psychopathology that may present uniquely in a dance environment are body checking and body avoidance. The current study sought to provide a foundational understanding of the phenomenology of body checking and avoidance among dancers by assessing the reliability (i.e., internal consistency) of existing body checking and avoidance measures and the relationships, or convergent validity, between measures of body checking and avoidance and measures of related constructs. Eighty professional and pre-professional (i.e., conservatory level) dancers (78.8 % female) from seven dance genres completed self-report measures of body checking and avoidance, ED pathology, clinical perfectionism, depression, and anxiety. Across the dancer sample, body checking and avoidance measures demonstrated adequate internal consistency. More frequent body checking and body avoidance was strongly related to higher levels of ED pathology. There were moderate to strong correlations between body checking and body avoidance and clinical perfectionism, depression, and anxiety such that higher body checking and body avoidance was related to higher clinical perfectionism, depression, and anxiety. Exploratory analyses found no significant differences between ballet dancers and dancers of other dance genres; professional dancers scored in the normative range on measures of body checking and body avoidance. Dancers' qualitative descriptions of body checking and avoidance revealed behaviors not included in existing questionnaires, such as unique mirror use behaviors, technology-assisted body checking, and the checking and avoidance of body parts relevant to the dance-specific body ideal. Results support the inclusion of body checking and avoidance interventions in ED treatments for dancers (particularly pre-professional dancers) and emphasize the need for dancer-specific ED assessment methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine R Drury
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, 675 18th Street, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA; School of Psychology, Fairleigh Dickinson University, 1000 River Road, T-WH1-01, Teaneck, NJ 07666, USA.
| | - Stephen Armeli
- School of Psychology, Fairleigh Dickinson University, 1000 River Road, T-WH1-01, Teaneck, NJ 07666, USA.
| | - Katharine L Loeb
- Chicago Center for Evidence-Based Treatment, 25 East Washington Street, Suite 1015, Chicago, IL 60602, USA.
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Goeden AV, Schaefer LM, Crosby RD, Peterson CB, Engel SG, Le Grange D, Crow SJ, Wonderlich SA. Examining the momentary relationships between body checking and eating disorder symptoms in women with anorexia nervosa. Eat Behav 2023; 50:101751. [PMID: 37244020 PMCID: PMC10525023 DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2023.101751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Body checking is common among individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) and increases risk for dietary restriction. However, no study has examined whether body checking increases the immediate risk for engaging in other harmful weight loss behaviors, or whether this relationship is moderated by person-level traits. The current study utilized ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to examine whether (a) body checking predicted rapid use of weight loss behaviors, and (b) whether eating-related obsessionality/compulsivity moderated this relationship. Women with full or subthreshold anorexia nervosa (N = 118) completed a measure of eating-related obsessionality/compulsivity at baseline, followed by a 14-day EMA protocol during which they reported on body checking and weight loss behaviors (i.e., exercise, self-induced vomiting, laxative use, skipping meals, and increasing fluid intake). In a series of generalized linear mixed models, within-person effects indicated that momentary body checking significantly predicted subsequent meal skipping and using fluids to curb appetite. Between-person effects indicated that individuals who engage in more frequent body checking also engage in a higher frequency of self-induced vomiting, meal skipping, and use of fluids to curb appetite. An individual's degree of eating-related obsessionality/compulsivity did not moderate any of these relationships. Findings highlight body checking as an immediate precursor of dangerous weight loss behaviors among individuals with AN, and underscore the need for clinicians to address body checking during treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allyson V Goeden
- Center for Biobehavioral Research, Sanford Research, United States of America; Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, La-Crosse, United States of America
| | - Lauren M Schaefer
- Center for Biobehavioral Research, Sanford Research, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, United States of America.
| | - Ross D Crosby
- Center for Biobehavioral Research, Sanford Research, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, United States of America
| | - Carol B Peterson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, United States of America
| | - Scott G Engel
- Center for Biobehavioral Research, Sanford Research, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, United States of America
| | - Daniel Le Grange
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Chicago (Emeritus), United States of America
| | - Scott J Crow
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry, Accanto Health, St. Paul Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Stephen A Wonderlich
- Center for Biobehavioral Research, Sanford Research, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, United States of America
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Cabaco AS, Urchaga JD, Guevara RM, Moral-García JE. Psychopathological Risk Factors Associated with Body Image, Body Dissatisfaction and Weight-Loss Dieting in School-Age Adolescents. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 8:105. [PMID: 33557161 PMCID: PMC7913906 DOI: 10.3390/children8020105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Determining the comorbidity patterns leading to suffering behavioural eating disorders (BED) that are identifiable in the early stages of life, can help prevent their becoming chronic, as well as preventing the consequences deriving from the cost and effectiveness of intervention programs. The paper focuses mainly on analysing the association between behavioural/emotional risk factors and body image, body satisfaction and diet in school children, as well as confirming whether there are differences based on sex. Several questionnaires (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and several items of Health Behaviour in School-age Children) including these variables were distributed and completed by the 647 adolescents (16 year olds on average) who took part in the research project. The findings confirmed a differentiated risk profile in adolescent girls in that they had greater prevalence of emotional symptoms as a general psychopathological trait, although this was offset with their prosocial behaviour. Additionally, the findings also allowed us to conclude that the factors that predict vulnerability to BEDs are sex, the presence of emotional symptoms and social and behavioural issues. At the end of this paper, we discuss some implications and consequences that should be taken into account for future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio S. Cabaco
- Faculty of Psychology, Pontifical University of Salamanca, C/Compañía, 5, 37002 Salamanca, Spain;
| | - José D. Urchaga
- Faculty of Communication, Pontifical University of Salamanca, C/Henry Collet, 90–98, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
| | - Raquel M. Guevara
- Faculty of Education, Pontifical University of Salamanca, C/Henry Collet, 52–70, 37007 Salamanca, Spain;
| | - José E. Moral-García
- Faculty of Education, Pontifical University of Salamanca, C/Henry Collet, 52–70, 37007 Salamanca, Spain;
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Opladen V, Vivell MB, Vocks S, Hartmann AS. Revisiting the Postulates of Etiological Models of Eating Disorders: Questioning Body Checking as a Longer-Term Maintaining Factor. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:795189. [PMID: 35095608 PMCID: PMC8792988 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.795189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Body checking (BC) is not only inherent to the maintenance of eating disorders but is also widespread among healthy females. According to etiological models, while BC serves as an affect-regulating behavior in the short term, in the longer term it is assumed to be disorder-maintaining and also produces more negative affect. The present study therefore aimed to empirically examine the proposed longer-term consequences of increased BC. In an online study, N = 167 women tracked their daily amount of BC over a total of 7 days: Following a 1-day baseline assessment of typical BC, participants were asked to check their bodies in an typical manner for 3 days and with a 3-fold increased frequency for 3-days. Before and after each BC episode, the impact of BC on affect, eating disorder symptoms, general pathology and endorsement of different functions of BC was assessed. Participants showed longer-term consequences of increased BC in terms of increased negative affect and general pathology, while eating disorder symptoms remained unaffected. In the case of typical BC, participants showed decreased general pathology and anxiety. Furthermore, the endorsement of a higher number of BC functions led to increased negative affect and an increased amount of typical BC. The findings support the theoretically assumed role of maladaptive BC in maintaining negative emotion in the longer term. However, though requiring replication, our finding of positive effects of typical BC calls into question the overall dysfunctionality of BC among non-clinical women who are not at risk of developing an eating disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Opladen
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Maj-Britt Vivell
- Department of Psychology, Experimental Clinical Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Silja Vocks
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Andrea S Hartmann
- Department of Psychology, Experimental Clinical Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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