Self-liking and self-competence: relationship to symptoms of anorexia nervosa.
Self-esteem has been hypothesised to play a pivotal role in the development and treatment, and outcome of anorexia nervosa (AN). Though this relationship is typically investigated by considering self-esteem as a unitary construct, research suggests that this comprises of two related but distinct components of self-liking and self-competence. This study investigates the association between self-liking, self-competence, and symptomatology of AN through the course of a defined treatment episode in 77 women. Self-liking was significantly associated with laxative abuse. Self-competence was significantly associated with elevated ineffectiveness, perfectionism and interpersonal distrust. Although self-competence and eating disturbance severity significantly improved over the treatment episode, one in three participants reported a reduced self-like or self-competence. Changes in both self-competence and self-liking at the end of treatment was associated with changes in drive for thinness. Such findings have implications for treatment models concerned with improving self-esteem.
Department of Psychological Medicine, Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand. lois.surgenor@chmeds.ac.nz
Lois J
LJ
Surgenor
Sarah
S
Maguire
Janice
J
Russell
Stephen
S
Touyz
D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009517:New South Wales; D012649:Self Concept; D016896:Treatment Outcome