title: A perfect storm: examining the synergistic effects of negative and positive emotional instability on promoting weight loss activities in anorexia nervosa.
abstract: Growing evidence indicates that both positive and negative emotion potentially influence the development and maintenance of anorexia nervosa, through both positive and negative reinforcement of weight loss activities. Such reactive emotional experience may be characterized by frequent and intense fluctuations in emotion, a construct known as "emotional instability." The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between positive emotional instability and weight loss activities in anorexia nervosa, and to investigate the synergistic effects of positive and negative emotional instability on promoting weight loss activities. Using ecological momentary assessment methods, 118 participants with anorexia nervosa reported their emotional experiences and behaviors at least six times daily over 2 weeks using a portable digital device. Using generalized linear modeling, results indicated that high levels of both positive and negative emotional instability, and the interaction between the two, were associated with more frequent weight-loss activities, beyond anorexia subtype and mean levels of emotional intensity. These findings indicate that when women with anorexia exhibit both high levels of both positive and negative emotional instability they are more prone to a variety of weight loss activities. The importance of addressing the role of both positive and negative emotion in anorexia treatment is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Rutgers University , Piscataway, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Edward A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Selby
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut , Storrs, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Talea
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cornelius
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Rutgers University , Piscataway, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Kara B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Fehling
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Rutgers University , Piscataway, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kranzler
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Rutgers University , Piscataway, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Emily A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Panza
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatric Research Institute , Fargo, ND, USA ; School of Medicine, University of North Dakota , Bismarck, ND, USA.
authors.forename: Jason M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lavender
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatric Research Institute , Fargo, ND, USA ; School of Medicine, University of North Dakota , Bismarck, ND, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Wonderlich
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatric Research Institute , Fargo, ND, USA ; School of Medicine, University of North Dakota , Bismarck, ND, USA.
authors.forename: Ross D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Crosby
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatric Research Institute , Fargo, ND, USA ; School of Medicine, University of North Dakota , Bismarck, ND, USA.
authors.forename: Scott G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatric Research Institute , Fargo, ND, USA ; School of Medicine, University of North Dakota , Bismarck, ND, USA.
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota , Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Scott J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Crow
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota , Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Carol B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago , Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Le Grange
keywords: anorexia nervosa; emotional instability; positive emotion; purging; weighing