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Attributional style in the eating disorders.
Tamara Morrison1, Glenn Waller, Rachel Lawson
1Sub-Department of Clinical Health Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
|April 15, 2006
Summary
Women with eating disorders exhibit a self-blaming attributional style for negative events, independent of depression. This cognitive bias likely perpetuates eating disorders, suggesting therapy should address these interpretations.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Patients with eating disorders often display a cognitive bias towards internal attributions for negative events.
- Attributional patterns for positive events and the influence of comorbid depression require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine attributional styles for both positive and negative events in individuals with eating disorders.
- To differentiate self-blame in eating disorders from the effects of depressed mood.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 25 women with eating disorders and 26 nonclinical women.
- Assessment of attributional style, depressed mood, eating pathology, and verbal intelligence.
Main Results:
- Women with eating disorders showed a significantly higher tendency for internal attributions of negative situations compared to controls, even after controlling for depression.
- No significant differences were found in attributional biases for positive events between the groups.
Conclusions:
- Eating disorders are associated with a self-blaming attributional style for negative events, which may contribute to disorder maintenance.
- Therapeutic interventions for eating disorders should target and re-evaluate these self-critical interpretations.