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Relationship between self‐soothing, aloneness, and evocative memory in bulimia nervosa
Author(s) -
Esplen Mary Jane,
Garfinkel Paul,
Gallop Ruth
Publication year - 2000
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(200001)27:1<96::aid-eat11>3.0.co;2-s
Subject(s) - bulimia nervosa , psychology , developmental psychology , psychotherapist , cognitive psychology , clinical psychology , eating disorders
Objective The relationship between characteristics of self‐soothing ability, the capacity for evocative memory, and aloneness was investigated in a clinical sample of 50 bulimia nervosa (BN) patients. Method Individuals meeting DSM‐III‐R criteria for BN who participated in a randomized trial of guided imagery completed measures of Soothing Receptivity and a modified version of the UCLA‐Loneliness scale, resulting in the Aloneness/Evocative Memory Scale. Results A lower level of soothing receptivity (indicating a decreased capacity for self‐soothing) was correlated with a decreased capacity for evocative memory. A lower level of soothing receptivity and decreased capacity for evocative memory were associated with a greater experience of aloneness. Discussion Results suggest the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the role of affect regulation and the experience of aloneness in BN and the need to develop treatments to specifically address these features of the illness. © 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 27: 96–100, 2000.