Cognitive distortions and eating pathology: specificity of thought-shape fusion.
Thought-shape fusion (TSF) is a cognitive distortion that has been linked with eating pathology; however, the specificity of this distortion to eating disorders has not yet been examined. The current study set out to investigate the effects of a TSF induction on susceptibility to TSF in three groups of women: individuals with an eating disorder (n = 33), individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; n = 24), and control women with no history of either an eating disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder (n = 26). Participants were assigned to receive either a TSF induction or a neutral induction, and their cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses were assessed. As expected, the results demonstrated that individuals with eating disorders were more susceptible to TSF than were women with OCD and control participants, reporting higher state TSF, more negative affect, and more neutralization behavior. The results also supported the specificity of this distortion by demonstrating that individuals with OCD were not particularly susceptible to TSF. In fact, control participants demonstrated an increased susceptibility to TSF relative to women with OCD, as evidenced by their higher levels of trait TSF, and increased self-reported distress/difficulty in imagining a food-related situation.
Interuniversity Laboratory of Psychology, Université de Savoie, BP1104, 73011 Chambéry Cedex, France. jennifer.coelho@douglas.mcgill.ca
Jennifer S
JS
Coelho
Céline
C
Baeyens
Christine
C
Purdon
Audrey
A
Pitet
Martine
M
Bouvard
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods; D001828:Body Image; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013850:Thinking; D055815:Young Adult