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A Computer-Based Platform for Aiding Clinicians in Eating Disorder Analysis and Diagnosis
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Persistence, perseveration and perfectionism in the eating disorders
Glenn Waller1, Tonya Shaw, Caroline Meyer
1Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, UK. glenn.waller@kcl.ac.uk
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy
|June 8, 2012
Summary
Eating disorders may be linked to lower persistence, not higher perseveration. This study suggests persistence is key for understanding and treating these conditions.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Perseveration, persistence, and perfectionism are traits hypothesized to be relevant to eating disorders.
- This study investigated the prevalence and associations of these traits in individuals with eating disorders and control groups.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the levels and correlates of persistence, perseveration, and perfectionism in eating disorders.
- To compare these traits between eating disorder patients, other psychiatric patients, and non-clinical individuals.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Persistence, Perseveration and Perfectionism Questionnaire (PPPQ-22).
- Administered to 99 women with eating disorders, 25 with other psychiatric disorders, and 91 non-clinical controls.
- Assessed differences in PPPQ-22 scores and their association with eating attitudes.
Main Results:
- Eating disorder groups exhibited lower persistence (goal-achievement drive) than non-clinical controls.
- No significant difference in perseveration (rule-following) was found between groups.
- Both eating disorder and non-clinical groups showed correlations between eating disorder symptoms and perseveration.
Conclusions:
- Low persistence, rather than high perseveration, may be implicated in eating disorders.
- Perfectionism's role in eating pathology requires further investigation.
- Future research should consider persistence in the treatment of eating disorders.
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