Open AccessDifferences in Affective Dynamics Among Eating-Disorder Diagnostic Groups
Author(s) -
Gail A. Williams-Kerver,
Stephen A. Wonderlich,
Ross D. Crosby,
Li Cao,
Kathryn E. Smith,
Scott G. Engel,
Scott J. Crow,
Carol B. Peterson,
James E. Mitchell,
Daniel Le Grange
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
clinical psychological science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.74
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 2167-7034
pISSN - 2167-7026
DOI - 10.1177/2167702620917196
Subject(s) - psychology , lability , eating disorders , bulimia nervosa , anorexia nervosa , affect (linguistics) , clinical psychology , binge eating disorder , binge eating , developmental psychology , biochemistry , chemistry , communication
Emotion regulation theories suggest that affect intensity is crucial in the development and maintenance of eating disorders. However, other aspects of emotional experience, such as lability, differentiation, and inertia, are not as well understood. This study is the first to use ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to examine differences in several daily negative affect (NA) indicators among adults diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), or binge eating disorder (BED). Using EMA data from three large studies, a series of linear mixed models showed that participants in the AN and BN groups experienced significantly greater NA intensity and better emotion differentiation than participants in the BED group. Alternatively, the BN group demonstrated significantly greater NA lability than the AN group and greater NA inertia than the BED group. These results suggest that several daily affective experiences differ among eating disorders diagnostic groups and have implications towards distinct conceptualizations and treatments.