title: Eating Disorders and Therapist Emotional Responses.
abstract: The aims of this study were to identify (a) patterns of clinicians' emotional responses to patients with eating disorders (ED); (b) patient, clinician, and treatment variables associated with therapist emotional responses; and (c) the influence of patient personality on therapist emotional responses. A random national sample of psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapists (N = 149) was asked to examine one patient (>18 years old) with an ED. Clinicians completed the SWAP-200, the Therapist Response Questionnaire, and the Clinical Questionnaire-Eating Disorder Form to provide general information about themselves, patients, and therapies. Results suggested a therapist pattern of emotional response in relation to different ED diagnosis and indicated meaningful influence of therapist experience and patient variables (such as sexual abuse, dissociative symptoms, and self-harm) on therapist emotional reactions. Finally, regression analysis suggested that therapist responses are more related to patient personality than ED symptoms. This study confirms the importance of patient personality in evoking specific therapists' reactions.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Human Science, University of Urbino "Carlo Bo", Urbino; †Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, University of Rome "Sapienza", Rome, Italy; and ‡Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY.
authors.forename: Antonello
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Colli
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Speranza
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lingiardi
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gentile
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nassisi
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hilsenroth
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004644:Emotions; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult