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Disordered eating behaviors and reward sensitivity.

R F Farmer1, H M Nash, C E Field

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. r.farmer@psyc.canterbury.ac.nz

Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
|July 10, 2002
PubMed
Summary

This study found that higher reward sensitivity was linked to more frequent purging behaviors in women with disordered eating. This suggests reward sensitivity may play a role in maintaining some eating disorder behaviors.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Clinical Psychology

Background:

  • Disordered eating behaviors, including binge eating and purging, are complex and multifactorial.
  • Understanding the psychological underpinnings, such as reward sensitivity, is crucial for developing effective interventions.
  • Previous research has explored various factors associated with eating disorders, but the specific role of reward sensitivity requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between reward sensitivity and the frequency of binge eating and purging behaviors.
  • To determine if reward sensitivity predicts the weekly frequency of these specific disordered eating behaviors.

Main Methods:

  • A sample of 34 women with a history of disordered eating patterns (at least 1 month) participated.

Related Experiment Videos

  • A verbal operant conditioning task was employed to assess conditionability to reward cues, serving as a measure of reward sensitivity.
  • Correlation analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between reward sensitivity scores and self-reported weekly frequencies of binge and purge behaviors.

    • Main Results:

    • Reward sensitivity showed a significant positive correlation with the average weekly frequency of purging behaviors (r = 0.44).
    • No significant correlation was found between reward sensitivity and the average weekly frequency of binge eating behaviors.
    • These findings indicate a specific link between heightened reward sensitivity and purging, but not bingeing, in this sample.

    Conclusions:

    • Reward sensitivity appears to be associated with specific aspects of disordered eating, particularly purging behaviors.
    • These results may inform theoretical models concerning the maintenance mechanisms of certain eating disorder-related behaviors.
    • Further research is warranted to explore the nuanced role of reward sensitivity in the broader spectrum of eating disorders.