Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria, Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy.
Eat Weight Disord. 2022 Dec;27(8):3267-3277. doi: 10.1007/s40519-022-01456-w. Epub 2022 Aug 8.
This research aims to analyze the relationship between emotional regulation and the symbolic process in autobiographical narratives of a group of individuals diagnosed with restrictive anorexia nervosa (AN), compared to a non-clinical group. The study is framed within multiple code theory (MCT) (Bucci, 1997; 2021), which considers mind-body integration. The purposes of this study are to investigate whether participants of the AN group will show greater alexithymia and emotional dysregulation than the non-clinical group; and whether the specific linguistic and symbolic features, such as somato-sensory words, affect words, and difficulty in the symbolizing process will predict the AN group.
Twenty-nine female participants hospitalized with AN during an acute phase (mean age 19.8 ± 4.1) and 36 non-clinical female participants (mean age 21 ± 2.4) were selected through snow-ball sampling. The participants completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Profile of Mood of State (POMS), the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), and the Relationship Anecdotes Paradigm Interview (RAP). The RAP interview was audio-recorded and transcribed to apply the Referential Process (RP) Linguistic Measures. A T test for paired samples and a logistic binary regression was performed.
AN presented a significantly higher emotional dysregulation through the ERQ, TAS20 and POMS measures. Specifically, AN showed higher ER expression/suppression strategies, fewer functional cognitive strategies, higher alexithymia, and higher mood dysregulation. Specific linguistic features such as sensory-somatic, word affect, and difficulty in RP symbolizing predict the AN group (R2 = 0.349; χ2 = 27,929; df = 3; p = .001).
Emotional dysregulation is connected to AN symptoms and autobiographical narratives. The results can help a clinical assessment phase showing specific linguistic features in AN patients.
Level II, controlled trial without randomization.
本研究旨在分析情绪调节与自传体叙述中的象征性过程之间的关系，研究对象为一组被诊断为限制型神经性厌食症（AN）的个体与非临床组进行比较。该研究基于多元代码理论（MCT）（Bucci，1997；2021），该理论考虑了身心整合。本研究的目的是调查 AN 组的参与者是否会表现出比非临床组更大的述情障碍和情绪调节障碍；以及特定的语言和象征特征，如躯体感觉词、情感词和象征化过程中的困难，是否会预测 AN 组。
通过雪球抽样，选择了 29 名在急性阶段住院的 AN 女性患者（平均年龄 19.8±4.1）和 36 名非临床女性参与者（平均年龄 21±2.4）。参与者完成了多伦多述情障碍量表（TAS-20）、心境状态问卷（POMS）、情绪调节问卷（ERQ）和关系轶事范式访谈（RAP）。RAP 访谈进行了录音和转录，以应用参照过程（RP）语言测量。进行了配对样本的 t 检验和逻辑二进制回归。
通过 ERQ、TAS20 和 POMS 测量，AN 表现出明显更高的情绪失调。具体来说，AN 表现出更高的 ER 表达/抑制策略、更少的功能认知策略、更高的述情障碍和更高的情绪失调。特定的语言特征，如感觉-躯体、词情感和 RP 象征化困难，预测了 AN 组（R2=0.349；χ2=27,929；df=3；p=0.001）。
情绪失调与 AN 症状和自传体叙述有关。结果可以帮助临床评估阶段显示 AN 患者的特定语言特征。
无随机分组的对照试验，II 级。
