1
|
Miller ML, Timko CA, Hormes JM. Factor structure of the Eating Disorder Flexibility Index in U.S. nonclinical collegiate and clinical adolescent samples. Eat Behav 2024; 52:101847. [PMID: 38301405 DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2024.101847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
Cognitive and behavioral inflexibility are transdiagnostic maintaining mechanisms of varied psychopathologies, including eating disorders (ED). The Eating Disorder Flexibility Index (EDFLIX) is the only psychometrically validated self-report measure of general and ED-specific flexibility in the published literature. The EDFLIX was originally developed in Scandinavian adult clinical and healthy control samples but is increasingly used in its English version in other populations, including adolescent and nonclinical samples, raising questions about its validity and reliability in diverse groups. This study examined the factor structure of the previously published English EDFLIX in undergraduates (n = 578, 57.6 % female, 50.2 % White). Parallel and exploratory factor analysis suggested the EDFLIX may comprise two or three underlying factors. However, follow-up confirmatory factor analyses from nonclinical student and clinical ED-diagnosed (n = 69, 87.0 % female, 91.3 % White) samples did not support either model. Further, EDFLIX scores did not correlate with established neuropsychological measures of cognitive flexibility typically used in prior research on flexibility in EDs. Findings suggest the EDFLIX has poor psychometric properties in certain groups and may not capture underlying aspects of flexibility as previously proposed. Future research should explore alternative versions of the EDFLIX along with its psychometric properties across various samples.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - C Alix Timko
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA; University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Howlett CA, Miles S, Berryman C, Phillipou A, Moseley GL. Conflation between self-report and neurocognitive assessments of cognitive flexibility: a critical review of the Jingle Fallacy. AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/00049530.2023.2174684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin A. Howlett
- Innovation, Implementation & Clinical Translation (IIMPACT) in Health, University of South Australia, Kaurna Country, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Stephanie Miles
- Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Carolyn Berryman
- Innovation, Implementation & Clinical Translation (IIMPACT) in Health, University of South Australia, Kaurna Country, Adelaide, Australia
- Brain Stimulation, Imaging and Cognition Research Group, School of Medicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Andrea Phillipou
- Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Mental Health, St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Mental Health, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - G. Lorimer Moseley
- Innovation, Implementation & Clinical Translation (IIMPACT) in Health, University of South Australia, Kaurna Country, Adelaide, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Borghesi F, Mancuso V, Bruni F, Cremascoli R, Bianchi L, Mendolicchio L, Cattaldo S, Chirico A, Mauro A, Pedroli E, Cipresso P. Mental flexibility assessment: A research protocol for patients with Parkinson's Disease and Anorexia Nervosa. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0293921. [PMID: 38117804 PMCID: PMC10732438 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Mental Flexibility oscillates between adaptive variability in behavior and the capacity to restore homeostasis, linked to mental health. It has recently been one of the most investigated abilities in mental and neurological diseases such as Anorexia nervosa and Parkinson's disease, studied for rigidity or cognitive inflexibility. Patients with anorexia nervosa have rigid cognitive processes about food and weight, which leads to restrictive eating and excessive exercise. People who struggle to adapt their cognitive processes and actions to change their diet and exercise habits may have a harder time recovering from the disorder. On the other hand, research suggests that Parkinson's disease patients may have cognitive flexibility impairments that impair their ability to perform daily tasks and adapt to new environments. Although of clinical interest, mental flexibility lacks theoretical liberalization and unified assessment. This study introduces "IntellEGO" a protocol for a new, multidimensional psychometric assessment of flexibility. This assessment evaluates a person's authentic ability to handle daily challenges using cognitive, emotional, and behavioral factors. Since traditional assessments often focus on one domain, we aim to examine flexibility from multiple angles, acknowledging the importance of viewing people as whole beings with mental and physical aspects. The study protocol includes two assessment phases separated by a rehabilitation period. T0, the acute phase upon admission, and T1, the post-rehabilitation phase lasting 15 days for Parkinson's patients and 4 weeks for eating disorder patients, will be assessed. Neuropsychological performance, self-report questionnaires, psychophysiological measures, and neuroendocrine measures will be collected from Anorexia Nervosa and Parkinson's Disease patients during each study phase. The objective of this procedure is to provide clinicians with a comprehensive framework for conducting meticulous assessments of mental flexibility. This framework considers emotional, cognitive, and behavioral factors, and is applicable to various patient populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Riccardo Cremascoli
- Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Unit of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, San Giuseppe Hospital Piancavallo, Verbania, Italy
| | - Laura Bianchi
- Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Unit of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, San Giuseppe Hospital Piancavallo, Verbania, Italy
| | - Leonardo Mendolicchio
- Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Unity of Eating Disorders, San Giuseppe Hospital Piancavallo, Verbania, Italy
| | - Stefania Cattaldo
- Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Laboratory of Clinical Neurobiology, San Giuseppe Hospital Piancavallo, Verbania, Italy
| | - Alice Chirico
- Department of Psychology, Research Center in Communication Psychology, Universitá Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Mauro
- Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Unit of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, San Giuseppe Hospital Piancavallo, Verbania, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience Rita Levi Montalcini, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Elisa Pedroli
- Faculty of Psychology, eCampus University, Novedrate, Italy
- Department of Geriatrics and Cardiovascular Medicine, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Pietro Cipresso
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Unit of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, San Giuseppe Hospital Piancavallo, Verbania, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Miles S, Nedeljkovic M, Phillipou A. Investigating differences in cognitive flexibility, clinical perfectionism, and eating disorder-specific rumination across anorexia nervosa illness states. Eat Disord 2023; 31:610-631. [PMID: 37128671 DOI: 10.1080/10640266.2023.2206751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Cognitive inflexibility, clinical perfectionism, and eating disorder (ED)-specific rumination are common characteristics reported in anorexia nervosa (AN) and may contribute to the maintenance of the illness. It is suggested that clinical perfectionism and rumination may mediate the relationship between cognitive flexibility and AN pathology; however, research to date has not investigated all these factors together. The aim of the current study was to explore the relationships between these factors and how they may relate to ED symptoms in AN. METHODS Participants included 15 women with a current diagnosis of AN, 12 women who had a past diagnosis of AN and were currently weight-restored, and 15 healthy controls (HCs). RESULTS The results revealed that participants with both acute and weight-restored AN self-reported poorer cognitive flexibility than HCs, but the groups did not differ in performance on objective assessments of cognitive flexibility. Participants with AN also reported significantly greater clinical perfectionism and ED-specific rumination than HC. A parallel mediation analysis found that ED-specific rumination mediated the relationship between subjective cognitive flexibility and ED symptoms. Further, subjective cognitive flexibility directly influenced ED symptoms. However, the mediation model was not significant for objective cognitive flexibility. CONCLUSION The findings of this study have implications for potential treatment barriers and factors which might contribute to the risk of relapse.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Miles
- Orygen, Melbourne, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Maja Nedeljkovic
- Centre for Mental Health & Brain Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Andrea Phillipou
- Orygen, Melbourne, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Mental Health, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Mental Health, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Dann KM, Veldre A, Miles S, Sumner P, Hay P, Touyz S. Measuring cognitive flexibility in anorexia nervosa: Wisconsin Card Sorting Test versus cued task-switching. Eat Weight Disord 2023; 28:60. [PMID: 37463996 DOI: 10.1007/s40519-023-01589-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) is the most common measure of cognitive flexibility in anorexia nervosa (AN), but task-switching paradigms are beginning to be utilized. The current study directly compared performance on a cued task-switching measure and the WCST to evaluate their association in participants with a lifetime diagnosis of AN, and to assess which measure is more strongly associated with clinical symptoms. METHODS Forty-five women with a lifetime diagnosis of AN completed the WCST, cued color-shape task-switching paradigm, Anti-saccade Keyboard Task, Running Memory Span, Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales short form and Eating Disorder Flexibility Index. RESULTS There was no evidence of a significant association between WCST perseverative errors and cued task-switching switch costs. Results suggest lower working memory capacity is a determinant of higher perseverative error rate. When controlling for mood variables, neither cognitive flexibility measure was a significant independent predictor of symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS Results provide support for previous suggestions that WCST perseverative errors could occur due to difficulties with working memory, sensitivity to feedback, and issues with concept formation. Cued task-switching paradigms may provide a useful measure of cognitive flexibility for future eating disorders research by reducing task-specific confounds. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level III Case-control analytic study.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kelly M Dann
- School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Brennan MacCallum Building (A18), Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, InsideOut Institute for Eating Disorders, The University of Sydney and Sydney Local Area Health District, Sydney, Australia.
| | - Aaron Veldre
- School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Brennan MacCallum Building (A18), Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Stephanie Miles
- Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
- Orygen, Melbourne, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Philip Sumner
- Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Phillipa Hay
- Translational Health Research Institute, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University and Mental Health Services SWSLHD, Campbelltown, Australia
| | - Stephen Touyz
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, InsideOut Institute for Eating Disorders, The University of Sydney and Sydney Local Area Health District, Sydney, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Miller ML, Sanzari CM, Timko CA, Hormes JM. Impact of virtual adjunctive cognitive remediation therapy on cognitive flexibility and treatment outcomes in comorbid anorexia nervosa and exercise dependence as quantified using novel biomarkers: A stage 1 registered report. Int J Eat Disord 2023; 56:1449-1460. [PMID: 37464977 DOI: 10.1002/eat.23942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with significant individual mental and physical suffering and public health burden and fewer than half of patients recover fully with current treatments. Comorbid exercise dependence (ExD) is common in AN and associated with significantly worse symptom severity and treatment outcomes. Research points to cognitive inflexibility as a prominent executive function inefficiency and transdiagnostic etiologic and maintaining mechanism linking AN and ExD. This study will evaluate the initial efficacy of adjunctive Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT), which has been shown to produce cognitive improvements in adults with AN, in targeting cognitive inflexibility in individuals with comorbid AN and ExD. As an exploratory aim, this study also addresses the current lack of quick and cost-effective assessments of cognitive flexibility by establishing the utility of two proposed biomarkers, heart rate variability and salivary oxytocin. METHOD We will conduct a single-group, within-subjects trial of an established CRT protocol delivered remotely as an adjunct to inpatient or intensive outpatient treatment as usual (TAU) to adult patients (n = 42) with comorbid AN and ExD. Assessments, including self-report, neuropsychological, and biomarker measurements, will occur at three time points. RESULTS We expect CRT to increase cognitive flexibility transdiagnostically and consequently, along with TAU, positively impact AN and ExD compulsivity and symptom severity, including weight gain. DISCUSSION Findings will inform the development of more effective integrative interventions for AN and ExD targeting shared mechanisms and facilitate the routine assessment of cognitive flexibility as a transdiagnostic risk and maintaining factor across psychopathologies in clinical and research settings. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE Patients with anorexia nervosa often engage in excessive exercise, leading to harmful outcomes, including increased suicidal behavior. This study examines the preliminary efficacy of an intervention that fosters flexible and holistic thinking in patients with problematic eating and exercise to, along with routine treatment, decrease harmful exercise symptoms. This study also examines new biological markers of the inflexible thinking style thought to be characteristic of anorexia nervosa and exercise dependence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- McKenzie L Miller
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, Albany, New York, USA
| | | | - C Alix Timko
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, USA
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Julia M Hormes
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, Albany, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Sensor Technology and Intelligent Systems in Anorexia Nervosa: Providing Smarter Healthcare Delivery Systems. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 2022:1955056. [PMID: 36193321 PMCID: PMC9526573 DOI: 10.1155/2022/1955056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Ubiquitous technology, big data, more efficient electronic health records, and predictive analytics are now at the core of smart healthcare systems supported by artificial intelligence. In the present narrative review, we focus on sensing technologies for the healthcare of Anorexia Nervosa (AN). We employed a framework inspired by the Interpersonal Neurobiology Theory (IPNB), which posits that human experience is characterized by a flow of energy and information both within us (within our whole body), and between us (in the connections we have with others and with nature). In line with this framework, we focused on sensors designed to evaluate bodily processes (body sensors such as implantable sensors, epidermal sensors, and wearable and portable sensors), human social interaction (sociometric sensors), and the physical environment (indoor and outdoor ambient sensors). There is a myriad of man-made sensors as well as nature-based sensors such as plants that can be used to design and deploy intelligent systems for human monitoring and healthcare. In conclusion, sensing technologies and intelligent systems can be employed for smarter healthcare of AN and help to relieve the burden of health professionals. However, there are technical, ethical, and environmental sustainability issues that must be considered prior to implementing these systems. A joint collaboration of professionals and other members of the society involved in the healthcare of individuals with AN can help in the development of these systems. The evolution of cyberphysical systems should also be considered in these collaborations.
Collapse
|
8
|
Miles S, Phillipou A, Sumner P, Nedeljkovic M. Cognitive flexibility and the risk of anorexia nervosa: An investigation using self-report and neurocognitive assessments. J Psychiatr Res 2022; 151:531-538. [PMID: 35636028 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.05.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Impaired cognitive flexibility has been suggested as a risk factor for the development of anorexia nervosa (AN). The current study aimed to 1) investigate cognitive flexibility in people at various levels of risk of AN; and 2) compare people with a history of AN to people at different levels of risk of AN in cognitive flexibility. The sample comprised of 262 community participants (79% female) and 36 participants with a lifetime diagnosis of AN (97.2% female) aged between 18 and 64 years old. Participants completed self-report (the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale short-form version, the Eating Disorders Examination-Questionnaire, the Neuroticism Scale, and the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory) and neurocognitive (the Trail Making Test and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test) assessments online to evaluate eating disorder symptoms, depression, neuroticism, and cognitive flexibility. Using a cluster analysis, participants were allocated into low-, medium-, and high-risk of AN groups (n = 88, 128, 46, and 36 respectively). Although high-risk participants self-reported significantly poorer cognitive flexibility than the other risk groups, performance on the neurocognitive tasks was similar across groups. Further, participants with lifetime AN reported significantly poorer cognitive flexibility than the low-risk group. People at high-risk of AN may perceive themselves to have poorer cognitive flexibility compared to those at a lower risk of AN. These results have implications for early identification of people at high-risk of AN.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Miles
- Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Andrea Phillipou
- Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Mental Health, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Mental Health, Austin Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Philip Sumner
- Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Maja Nedeljkovic
- Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Can Cognitive Flexibility and Clinical Perfectionism Be Used to Identify People with Anorexia Nervosa? J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11071954. [PMID: 35407563 PMCID: PMC9000192 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11071954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Poor cognitive flexibility and perfectionism are common features in anorexia nervosa (AN). The current study aimed to investigate cognitive flexibility and clinical perfectionism as potential predictors of AN. Twenty women with a current diagnosis of AN (M age = 28.25, SD = 7.62) and 170 community participants with no lifetime history of an eating disorder (M age = 29.23, SD = 9.88) took part in an online cross-sectional study that included self-report questionnaires of cognitive flexibility and clinical perfectionism. It was found that compared to the community sample, women with AN self-reported significantly poorer cognitive flexibility and significantly greater clinical perfectionism. In a regression model, clinical perfectionism (but not self-reported cognitive flexibility) significantly predicted group membership. The specificity and sensitivity of the model were high. These preliminary findings indicate that clinical perfectionism may represent a key feature of AN and may accurately discriminate between participants with and without AN, though more research is required.
Collapse
|