title: External Eating as a Predictor of Cue-reactivity to Food-related Virtual Environments.
abstract: The objective of this study was to assess the association between external eating style and food craving experienced during exposure to food cues in virtual reality (VR) environments in both clinical and non-clinical samples. According to the externality theory, people with external eating experience higher reactivity when exposed to food cues, which in turn increases the probability of overeating. Forty patients with eating disorders (23 with bulimia nervosa and 17 with binge eating disorder) and 78 undergraduate students were exposed to 10 different food cues in four VR environments (kitchen, dining room, bedroom, and café). After 30 seconds of exposure to each VR environment, food craving was assessed using a visual analog scale. External, emotional and restrictive eating styles were also assessed using the DEBQ. The results showed a strong association between external eating and cue-elicited food craving. After controlling for the presence of eating disorder diagnosis, external eating was the best predictor of reported food craving. The results lend support to the externality theory but highlight the need for further research in specific patterns of functioning in patients with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Personality, Assessment, and Psychological Treatments, Universitat de Barcelona.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrer-Garcia
authors.affiliation: Department of Personality, Assessment, and Psychological Treatments, Universitat de Barcelona.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez-Maldonado
authors.affiliation: Department of Personality, Assessment, and Psychological Treatments, Universitat de Barcelona.
authors.forename: Joana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pla-Sanjuanelo
authors.affiliation: Department of Personality, Assessment, and Psychological Treatments, Universitat de Barcelona.
authors.forename: Ferran
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vilalta-Abella
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Igualada General Hospital.
authors.forename: Alexis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andreu-Gracia
authors.affiliation: Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia.
authors.forename: Antonios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dakanalis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Bellvitge-IDIBELL.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Aranda
authors.affiliation: Department of Personality, Assessment, and Psychological Treatments, Universitat de Barcelona.
authors.forename: Adela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fusté-Escolano
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Igualada General Hospital.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ribas-Sabaté
authors.affiliation: Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab., Istituto Auxologico Italiano.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Riva
authors.affiliation: Department of Personality, Assessment, and Psychological Treatments, Universitat de Barcelona.
authors.forename: Carmina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Saldaña
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Bellvitge-IDIBELL.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sánchez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056912:Binge-Eating Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D066249:Craving; D003463:Cues; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006963:Hyperphagia / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D000076142:Virtual Reality; D055815:Young Adult