Characteristics of Stressful Life Events and Its Relationship With Body Disperception in Patients With Eating Disorders

Abstract

Objective

A distorted body image and body dissatisfaction (BD) are key features of eating disorders (ED). Stressful life events (SLEs) are involved in the evolution of the illness. The study aims to evaluate the relationship between SLEs and disturbance in body image.

Method

Cross-sectional, retrospective study. ED participants were outpatients from the unit care of ED. Healthy subjects (HS) were recruited by general advisements. A final sample of 119 (78 patients and 41 HS) was recruited. The traumatic life event questionnaire, the dissociative experiences scale, the Contour Drawing Rating Scale, and the eating disorder inventory (EDI) were used for assessment.

Results

No differences between groups were found in mean age, sex, level of study, or SLEs prevalence. ED patients reported significantly more levels of dissociative experiences, BD, and body misperception. ED patients who reported SLEs presented more levels of dissociation, bulimia, perfectionism, impulsivity, and overestimation of the shape in the mirror. Besides, patients who overestimated their shape seemed to show more impulsivity. BD correlated with social insecurity and binging in the control group. HS with overestimation of their shape presented more punctuation in the EDI subscale of bulimia.

Conclusions

ED patients tend to overestimate their bodies more than HS both when they look in the mirror and when they feel their shape. Those with a greater number of SLEs have greater levels of dissociation. The presence of interpersonal SLEs determined more perfectionism, impulsivity, a distorted body image in the mirror, and a drive of thinness only in ED patients, while healthy subjects reported more anxiety, social insecurity, and non-planned impulsivity.