title: Self-focused attention in anorexia nervosa.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The clinical presentation of anorexia nervosa (AN) is characterized by preoccupation with body experience, intrusive concerns regarding shape, and pathological fears of weight gain. These symptoms are suggestive of unrelenting self-focused attention. No research to date has characterized self-focused attention (SFA) in AN nor examined neurocognitive features that may facilitate an excessive, rigid, or sustained focus on one's appearance.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study examined SFA, body image disturbance, and executive functioning in women with current anorexia nervosa (AN-C; n = 24), a history of AN who were weight-restored at the time of the study (WR; n = 19), and healthy controls (n = 24).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Private and public SFA were highest among WR and lowest among AN-C. Shape concerns were negatively correlated with SFA, especially among AN-C, after controlling for depression and social anxiety symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lower levels of SFA among AN-C were unexpected and suggest the acute state of AN may lessen pathological self-focus, negatively reinforcing symptoms. In addition, body image concerns may distract from general SFA. Deficits in executive attention may explain these findings, as each one unit increase in perseverative errors among AN-C participants was associated with an almost one-half unit decrease in public SFA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zucker
authors.forename: H Ryan
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Rhonda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Merwin
authors.forename: Cynthia M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Bulik
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moskovich
authors.forename: Lori
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Keeling
authors.forename: Rick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hoyle
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology*; D001288:Attention; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D001835:Body Weight; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009770:Obsessive Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: anorexia nervosa; attention; eating disorders; executive functioning; self-focused attention; social cognition; social perception