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Adams KL, Mandy W, Catmur C, Bird G. Potential mechanisms underlying the association between feeding and eating disorders and autism. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 162:105717. [PMID: 38754718 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
There is a reliable association between autism and Feeding and Eating Disorders. Concerningly, where these two conditions co-occur, clinical outcomes of Feeding and Eating Disorders are significantly worse, and treatment less effective, than when the Feeding and Eating Disorders occur in neurotypical individuals. Problematically, the reason for the association between autism and Feeding and Eating Disorders is poorly understood, which constrains advances in clinical care. This paper outlines several possible mechanisms that may underlie the observed association and suggests ways in which they may be empirically tested. Mechanisms are split into those producing an artefactual association, and those reflecting a genuine link between conditions. Artefactual associations may be due to conceptual overlap in both diagnostic criteria and measurement, Feeding and Eating Disorders causing transient autistic traits, or the association being non-specific in nature. A genuine association between autism and Feeding and Eating Disorders may be due to common causal factors, autism directly or indirectly causing Feeding and Eating Disorders, and Feeding and Eating Disorders being a female manifestation of autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiera Louise Adams
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - William Mandy
- Division of Psychology and Language, University College London, London, UK
| | - Caroline Catmur
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Geoffrey Bird
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Barrett EN, Frey BN, Streiner DL, Agako A, Inness BE, Furtado M, Caropreso L, Green SM. Psychometric properties of the difficulties in emotion regulation Scale in a perinatal sample. J Reprod Infant Psychol 2023:1-20. [PMID: 37342964 DOI: 10.1080/02646838.2023.2227648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND One in five pregnant and postpartum individuals experience an anxiety, depressive, and/or trauma-related disorder. Emotion dysregulation (ED) underlies the development and maintenance of various mental health disorders. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) is the most comprehensive and commonly used measure of emotion dysregulation, yet limited evidence supports its use in the perinatal population. The present study aims to evaluate the validity of the DERS and its six subscales in a perinatal sample and to assess its predictive utility in identifying perinatal individuals with a disorder characterised by emotion dysregulation. METHODS Pregnant and postpartum individuals (N = 237) completed a diagnostic clinical interview and self-report measures of anxiety, depression, and perceived social support. RESULTS The DERS subscales demonstrated good internal consistency and construct validity, as it strongly correlated with measures of anxiety and depression and failed to correlate with a measure of perceived social support. Results from an exploratory factor analysis supported a 6-factor solution, suggesting structural validity. An ROC analysis revealed good to excellent discriminative ability for the DERS full scale and four of the subscales. Finally, an optimal clinical cut-off score of 87 or greater was established with a sensitivity of 81% for detecting a current anxiety, depressive, and/or trauma-related disorder. CONCLUSIONS This study provides evidence for the validity and clinical utility of the DERS in a treatment-seeking and community sample of pregnant and postpartum individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily N Barrett
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Benicio N Frey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
- Women's Health Concerns Clinic, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, Canada
| | - David L Streiner
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Arela Agako
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Briar E Inness
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Melissa Furtado
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Luisa Caropreso
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
- Women's Health Concerns Clinic, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Sheryl M Green
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
- Women's Health Concerns Clinic, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, Canada
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Huffhines L, Bublitz MH, Coe JL, Seifer R, Parade SH. Maternal perinatal hypertensive disorders and parenting in infancy. Infant Behav Dev 2022; 69:101781. [PMID: 36323194 PMCID: PMC9793337 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2022.101781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Maternal mental health strongly influences parenting during infancy. However, it is unclear whether maternal physical health conditions in the perinatal period may also impact parenting. Examining the association of hypertensive disorders - a common physical health problem in pregnancy - with subsequent parenting behaviors is an important first step in understanding the connection between maternal physical health and parenting during this critical developmental period. This study evaluated whether hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and hypertensive disorders (HD) diagnosed after the birth of the infant were associated with parenting self-efficacy, parenting stress, and observed parental responsiveness during mother-infant interactions at 6 and 12 months postpartum among a sample of racially and ethnically diverse mothers and their infants (N = 295). Results showed that mothers with an HDP or HD diagnosis had lower levels of parenting self-efficacy, higher levels of parenting stress, and lower levels of observed parental responsiveness compared to mothers without an HDP or HD diagnosis. Given that women with childhood adversity are at higher risk for experiencing HDP/HD and may have more difficulties with parenting compared to women without childhood adversity, we utilized a sample of mothers wherein most had experienced at least one form of adversity in their childhoods. Exploratory analyses revealed that HDP/HD moderated the relation between early life experiences and parenting outcomes in all but one model. Associations between HDP/HD and parenting are discussed, with implications for how we understand maternal physical health as a determinant of parenting in the perinatal period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay Huffhines
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center, E.P. Bradley Hospital, East Providence, RI, USA.
| | - Margaret H Bublitz
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; Department of Medicine, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; Women's Medicine Collaborative, The Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Jesse L Coe
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center, E.P. Bradley Hospital, East Providence, RI, USA
| | - Ronald Seifer
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center, E.P. Bradley Hospital, East Providence, RI, USA; Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Stephanie H Parade
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center, E.P. Bradley Hospital, East Providence, RI, USA
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Pellegrini RA, Finzi S, Veglia F, Di Fini G. Narrative and Bodily Identity in Eating Disorders: Toward an Integrated Theoretical-Clinical Approach. Front Psychol 2021; 12:785004. [PMID: 34975677 PMCID: PMC8714898 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.785004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Eating disorders (EDs) can be viewed as “embodied acts” that help to cope with internal and external demands that are perceived as overwhelming. The maintenance of EDs affects the entire identity of the person; the lack of a defined; or valid sense of self is expressed in terms of both physical body and personal identity. According to attachment theory, primary relationships characterized by insecurity, traumatic experiences, poor mirroring, and emotional attunement lead to the development of dysfunctional regulatory strategies. Although the literature shows an association between attachment style or states of mind, trauma, behavioral strategies, and various EDs, the debate is still ongoing and the results are still conflicting. Therefore, we believe it is important to examine and treat EDs by understanding which narrative trajectory intercepts distress in relation to narrative and embodied self-concept. Drawing on clinical observation and a narrative review of the literature, we focus on the construction and organization of bodily and narrative identity. Because bodily representations are the primary tools for generating meaning, organizing experience, and shaping social identity from the earliest stages of life, we focus on the role that bodily interactions and sensorimotor and proprioceptive patterns have played in the development of EDs. We consider the role that lack of attunement, insecure attachment, and relational trauma play in mentalizing, affecting self-representation and emotion regulation strategies. The paper also considers a semantic mode of trauma in EDs that involves a top-down pathway through beliefs and narratives about oneself based on lack of amiability, on devaluation, and on humiliation memories. Finally, we would like to highlight the proposal of an integrated model with multiple access model to psychotherapy that takes into account the complexity of ED patients in whom aspects related to dysregulation, body image disintegration, and post-traumatic symptoms are associated with a suffering sense of self and a retraumatizing narrative.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah Finzi
- Centro Clinico Crocetta, Scuola di Specializzazione in Psicoterapia Cognitiva, Turin, Italy
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- *Correspondence: Sarah Finzi,
| | - Fabio Veglia
- Centro Clinico Crocetta, Scuola di Specializzazione in Psicoterapia Cognitiva, Turin, Italy
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Giulia Di Fini
- Centro Clinico Crocetta, Scuola di Specializzazione in Psicoterapia Cognitiva, Turin, Italy
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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Goldstein BL, Briggs-Gowan MJ, Greene CC, Chang R, Grasso DJ. An Item Response Theory examination of the original and short forms of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) in pregnant women. J Clin Psychol 2021; 77:1591-1606. [PMID: 33971024 DOI: 10.1002/jclp.23167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Emotion dysregulation during pregnancy may impede women's capacity to navigate increased stressors during this period and may elevate risk for psychosocial impairment, especially for socioeconomically disadvantaged or racially marginalized women. Valid and efficient assessment of emotion dysregulation is needed. METHODS We used Item Response Theory (IRT) to examine the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) in 248 low income, primarily Latina/x pregnant women, to compare the short forms relative to the full DERS. RESULTS IRT indicated that the short forms exhibited modest reliability, but also indicated a substantial decrease in information (i.e., reliability) for the short forms compared with the full DERS. IRT indicated that the DERS-16 appeared more reliable (conserve more information) relative to the other short forms, the DERS-SF and DERS-18. CONCLUSION Findings suggest that clinicians and researchers use the full DERS when time permits and the DERS-16 when needing a briefer version.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon L Goldstein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, West Hartford, Connecticut, USA
| | - Margaret J Briggs-Gowan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, West Hartford, Connecticut, USA
| | - Carolyn C Greene
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, West Hartford, Connecticut, USA
| | - Rocio Chang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, West Hartford, Connecticut, USA
| | - Damion J Grasso
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, West Hartford, Connecticut, USA
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de Campora G, Giromini L, Guerriero V, Chiodo C, Zavattini GC, Larciprete G. Influence of maternal reflective functioning on mothers' and children's weight: A follow-up study. Infant Ment Health J 2019; 40:862-873. [PMID: 31392750 DOI: 10.1002/imhj.21819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Based on cross-sectional research linking poor reflective functionining (RF) to eating disorders, the current follow-up study tested whether maternal RF would explain the variance of mothers' and children's weight beyond the effects of maternal emotional dysregulation. During pregnancy (Time 1 [T1]), 51 women were administered the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and interviewed using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Seven months after delivery (Time 2 [T2]), mother-baby dyads who remained in the study (n = 44) were videotaped (Feeding Scale) during their feeding interaction. Last (Time 3 [T3]), the weight of the 34 children who were still in the study was collected at 3 years of age. Maternal AAI-RF at T1 did not correlate with the DERS at T1 nor with the quality of the feeding interacions at T2. However, it correlated, significantly, with maternal body mass index (BMI) at T1, r = -.298, P = .034, and marginally significantly with baby's BMI at T3, r = -.296, P = .089. Moreover, multiple regression models showed a trend indicating that maternal AAI-RF might explain the variance of mothers' and children's weight beyond the effects of maternal emotional dysregulation. These findings suggest that working on maternal mentalization might contribute to helping prevent childhood obesity from pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Viviana Guerriero
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Carina Chiodo
- Department of Nutrition and Food Science, California State University, Chico, California
| | | | - Giovanni Larciprete
- Department of Obstetrician and Gynecology, Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Rome, Italy
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Giromini L, Ales F, de Campora G, Zennaro A, Pignolo C. Developing Age and Gender Adjusted Normative Reference Values for the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10862-017-9611-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Giromini L, Colombarolli MS, Brusadelli E, Zennaro A. An Italian contribution to the study of the validity and reliability of the trait meta-mood scale. J Ment Health 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/09638237.2017.1340621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Miguel FK, Giromini L, Colombarolli MS, Zuanazzi AC, Zennaro A. A Brazilian Investigation of the 36- and 16-Item Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scales. J Clin Psychol 2016; 73:1146-1159. [PMID: 27717003 DOI: 10.1002/jclp.22404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2016] [Revised: 07/14/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE About 10 years ago, Gratz and Roemer (2004) introduced the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), a 36-item self-report instrument measuring 6 areas of emotion regulation problems. Recently, Bjureberg et al. (2015) have introduced a new, briefer version of the DERS comprising only 16 of the 36 items included in the original version. Because no studies have yet cross-validated the recently introduced 16-item DERS and the 36-item DERS has never been tested in Brazil, we sought to inspect the psychometric properties of scores from both DERS versions with a nonclinical Brazilian sample. METHOD Participants were 725 adult volunteers aged 18-70 years (mean = 30.54, standard deviation = 10.59), 82.3% of whom were women. All were administered the DERS along with a number of other self-report and performance-based instruments. Data analyses inspected internal consistency, factor structure, and convergent as well as divergent validity of scores from both DERS versions. RESULTS Results show that scores from both DERS versions possess good psychometric properties. Interestingly, both versions correlated, in the expected direction, with psychopathology and showed no significant correlations with cognitive measures. Like in other studies, however, the Awareness factor of the 36-item DERS did not produce optimal validity and reliability indexes. CONCLUSION Taken together, our findings indicate that the 16-item DERS may be preferred over the 36-item version and provide additional support to the differentiation between emotion regulation and cognitive tasks of emotional perception and abstract and verbal reasoning.
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