Premium
Food cravings in women with a history of anorexia nervosa
Author(s) -
Gendall Kelly A.,
Sullivan Patrick F.,
Joyce Peter R.,
Bulik Cynthia M.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199712)22:4<403::aid-eat5>3.0.co;2-q
Subject(s) - anorexia nervosa , craving , bulimia nervosa , psychology , psychiatry , eating disorders , food craving , anxiety , clinical psychology , perfectionism (psychology) , distress , addiction
Abstract Objective The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of food cravings in women with a history of anorexia nervosa. Method: One hundred one control women selected at random and 64 women with a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa 10 to 14 years earlier (cases) completed the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies, a food craving questionnaire, the Temperament and Character Inventory and the Three‐Factor Eating Questionnaire. Results: A similar proportion of cases and controls reported food cravings. A greater proportion of cases reported strong cravings with two or more features of intensity ( p = .02). Cravings in the cases were more likely to be characterized by difficulty resisting the craved food ( p = .0008), anxiety when the craved food was unavailable ( p = .002), and a high frequency of occurrence ( p = .001). The cases who craved were significantly more likely to have had lifetime BN ( p = .02). Conclusion: A similar prevalence of food craving in cases as in controls suggests that successful control of food intake and/or denial of hunger overrides dietary restriction as a precondition for craving in anorexia nervosa. A dysfunction in the serotonergic system, the provision of intermittent reinforcement by binge episodes, and/or frustration due to unsuccessful attempts at dietary restraint may mediate the association of cravings with the presence of lifetime bulimia. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Eat Disord 22:403–409, 1997.