Social cognition in eating disorders: encoding and representational processes in binging and purging patients.
OBJECTIVE
The present study investigates social cognition impairments in 29 women with bingeing/purging spectrum eating disorders (ED) compared to 27 healthy controls.


METHODS
Measures were used to examine encoding and representational processes in relation to affect perception and affect attribution, as well as the ability to recognize mental causality in social relationships.


RESULTS
ED patients failed to correctly encode causality in interpersonal relations, exhibited deficits in their ability to ascribe behaviour to mental states, and showed a greater tendency to attribute negative affects in interpersonal relationships. Stepwise regression analyses suggested that ED symptoms could account for deficits in the recognition of causality in interpersonal relations.


CONCLUSIONS
In addition to addressing ED symptoms, social cognition deficits should be addressed in the psychological treatment of EDs.
Rothschild-Yakar
Lily
L
Safra Children's Hospital, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel. Lilyrot@yahoo.com
Eviatar
Zohar
Z
Shamia
Adi
A
Gur
Eitan
E
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D056912:Binge-Eating Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012938:Social Perception; D055815:Young Adult