A MULTICENTRIC OBSERVATIONAL AND EXPLORATORY STUDY ON REFLECTIVE FUNCTIONING AND INTEROCEPTIVE AWARENESS IN INDIVIDUALS WITH EATING DISORDERS.

Background: Reflective functioning and interoceptive awareness are core domains in the psychological functioning of individuals with eating disorders (EDs). Alterations in these dimensions may contribute to emotional dysregulation and body image disturbances, which are hallmark features of EDs. To compare reflective functioning and interoceptive awareness between individuals with EDs and a non-clinical control group, and to explore associations with general psychological functioning and eating disorder symptomatology within the clinical sample.

Methods: A total of 65 participants were recruited (32 clinical, 33 control group). Participants completed the EDI-3, the CORE-OM, the RFQ, and the MAIA. The Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman correlations were conducted to assess between-group differences and associations among psychological variables.

Results: The clinical group showed more severe symptomatology, greater psychological difficulties, increased uncertainty in the attribution of mental states and reduced interoceptive awareness. Significant correlations emerged between ED symptom severity and both interoceptive and reflective capacities.

Conclusions: The findings highlight the relevance of reflective functioning and interoceptive awareness as transdiagnostic dimensions in EDs. These results support the integration of therapeutic approaches targeting these mechanisms in the treatment of eating disorders.