Endorsement of Avoidant/Restrictive Eating Motivations Across Restrictive Eating Disorders: A Trait- and State-Level...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Eating Disorders Research

Background:

• Research often contrasts Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) and Anorexia Nervosa (AN), potentially overlooking shared mechanisms of dietary restriction.
• ARFID-related eating disturbances may contribute to the ego-syntonic nature of restriction in AN.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the similarities and differences in motivations for restrictive eating between ARFID, AN (restrictive and binge-eating/purging subtypes), and controls.
• To explore the role of ARFID-specific and traditional eating disorder (ED) related reasons in maintaining dietary restriction.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Nine Item ARFID Screen (NIAS) with 141 participants and ecological momentary assessment with 76 participants.
• Examined endorsement of ARFID-related and ED-related reasons for restrictive eating in women diagnosed with ARFID, AN-R, AN-BP, and healthy controls.

Main Results:

• Clinical groups (ARFID, AN-R, AN-BP) scored higher on NIAS subscales than controls.
• ARFID participants reported higher picky eating than AN groups and greater fears/appetite issues than AN-BP.
• ARFID and AN-R showed similar avoidant/restrictive motivations for skipped meals; AN-BP did not differ in fear of consequences.

Conclusions:

• Sensory sensitivity and picky eating appear more specific to primarily restrictive eating disorders.
• Lack of interest in eating was a common factor across all clinical groups studied.
• Findings highlight shared and distinct features of ARFID and AN, suggesting potential transdiagnostic treatment targets.