Direct Experience While Eating in a Sample With Eating Disorders and Obesity

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Eating Disorders Research

Background:

• Individuals with eating disorders may have reduced direct engagement with the eating experience.
• This study investigates eating experiences across anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS), and obesity (OB) compared to healthy controls (HC).

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare direct experience while eating among different eating disorder diagnoses and obesity.
• To explore differences in mindfulness and anxiety levels related to eating experiences in these groups.

Main Methods:

• 143 women ate an orange slice and described the experience, categorizing thoughts as direct or analytical.
• A direct experience index (DEI) was calculated.
• Participants completed the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and rated post-task anxiety.

Main Results:

• Obesity (OB) group had higher DEI than AN and BN, similar to HC.
• AN group reported higher anxiety post-task than HC; EDNOS reported more anxiety than HC and OB.
• Significant differences were found across all FFMQ facets between groups.

Conclusions:

• Anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) are associated with lower direct experience during eating.
• Individuals with obesity (OB) showed similar eating experience engagement to healthy controls (HC), differing from other clinical groups.