Look at yourself: can body image therapy affect the cognitive and emotional response to seeing oneself in the mirror in eating disorders?
The study examined whether the extent of negative body-related thoughts and emotions evoked by looking in a mirror can be changed by cognitive-behavioural body image therapy (BIT) and whether any remaining cognitive and affective responses dropped faster after the treatment. Females with eating disorders (n = 17) looked in a mirror for 40 minutes under standardised conditions before and after BIT. A control group (CG) (n = 24) was also exposed to their own bodies twice. Cognitive and affective reactions were assessed four times during the session. Hierarchical Linear Modelling revealed that among eating-disordered patients, the entrance levels of negative thoughts and feelings were lower at post compared to pre-BIT, whereas they remained stable in the CG. The extent of reduction of the remaining body image distress was not changed after the treatment. BIT seems to be a potent treatment of negative emotions and cognitions in an in vivo situation.
Vocks
Silja
S
Department of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany. vocks@kli.psy.ruhr-uni-bochum.de
Wächter
Alexandra
A
Wucherer
Maike
M
Kosfelder
Joachim
J
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001828:Body Image; D003071:Cognition; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D004644:Emotions; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D012649:Self Concept