Transdiagnostic body dissatisfaction: comparing adolescents with anorexia nervosa and depression during body exposure.

Abstract

Background: Body dissatisfaction (BD) is a risk factor for and a maintaining factor of Anorexia nervosa (AN). Furthermore, BD is associated with depressive symptoms. Body exposure (BE) was found to be an effective intervention for reducing BD. The current study aimed to investigate similarities and differences in BD between patients with AN and depressive symptoms and the efficacy of a computerized BE in those adolescents.

Methods: We compared adolescents with AN (n = 36) to adolescents with depression and high body dissatisfaction (n = 21; DBD group). BD was assessed with questionnaires; valence ratings were obtained for different body parts. Emotion ratings and gaze patterns towards the own body were assessed during each session via rating scales and eye-tracking.

Results: Satisfaction with several body parts increased and anxiety and disgust decreased throughout the intervention in both groups, with no significant differences between them. An attentional bias towards the three most unattractive body parts was found, expressed via longer viewing times; however, it was not modified by the BE intervention.

Conclusions: The similarities between adolescents with AN and highly body dissatisfied ones with depression in terms of BD, emotional reactions to and gaze patterns on one's own body suggest a transdiagnostic phenomenon of BD. The results suggest that a computer-based BE is an effective intervention for reducing BD.

Trial registration: The study was pre-registered in the German Clinical Trials Register (Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien; DRKS), ID number DRKS00024675.