Vuillier L, Joseph J, Greville-Harris M, May L, Somerville M P, Harrison A, Moseley R L
Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole, UK.
Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust, Poole, UK.
J Eat Disord. 2022 Dec 13;10(1):193. doi: 10.1186/s40337-022-00715-6.
While eating disorders (EDs) are more commonly diagnosed in females, there is growing awareness that men also experience EDs and may do so in a different way. Difficulties with emotion processing and emotion regulation are believed to be important in EDs, but as studies have involved predominantly female samples, it is unclear whether this is also true for males.
In a sample of 1604 participants (n = 631 males), we assessed emotion processing and emotion regulation in males with EDs (n = 109) and compared results to both females with EDs (n = 220) and males from the general population (n = 522). We also looked at whether emotion processing and emotion regulation difficulties predicted various aspects of eating psychopathology and whether this was moderated by sex. We assessed emotion processing with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, emotion regulation with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and eating psychopathology with the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire.
We found that males with ED, like their female counterparts, suffered from emotion processing and emotion regulation deficits. We did find some sex differences, in that males with EDs tended to report more difficulties with their emotions as well as a more externally oriented thinking style compared to females with EDs. Difficulties with emotion processing and emotion regulation were strongly predictive of various aspects of eating psychopathology in both sexes. Importantly, we found that sex moderated the relationship between cognitive reappraisal and eating restraint. As such, low use of reappraisal was found to be associated with higher levels of restraint in females but not in males.
Difficulties with emotion processing and emotion regulation are associated with eating psychopathology in both males and females. Reappraisal was not found to be associated with reduced eating psychopathology in males, suggesting a cautious approach to interventions targeting this strategy. Research around explanatory mechanisms and interventions must adopt a broader viewpoint including those that are traditionally overlooked in EDs.
虽然饮食失调（EDs）在女性中更常被诊断出来，但人们越来越意识到男性也会经历饮食失调，而且方式可能不同。情绪加工和情绪调节困难被认为在饮食失调中很重要，但由于研究主要涉及女性样本，尚不清楚这对男性是否也适用。
在1604名参与者（n = 631名男性）的样本中，我们评估了患有饮食失调的男性（n = 109）的情绪加工和情绪调节，并将结果与患有饮食失调的女性（n = 220）和普通人群中的男性（n = 522）进行比较。我们还研究了情绪加工和情绪调节困难是否能预测饮食心理病理学的各个方面，以及这是否受到性别的调节。我们用多伦多述情障碍量表评估情绪加工，用情绪调节困难量表和情绪调节问卷评估情绪调节，用饮食失调检查问卷评估饮食心理病理学。
我们发现，患有饮食失调的男性与女性一样，存在情绪加工和情绪调节缺陷。我们确实发现了一些性别差异，即与患有饮食失调的女性相比，患有饮食失调的男性往往报告在情绪方面有更多困难，以及思维方式更外向。情绪加工和情绪调节困难在很大程度上可预测两性饮食心理病理学的各个方面。重要的是，我们发现性别调节了认知重评与饮食克制之间的关系。因此，发现低水平的重评使用与女性较高水平的克制相关，但与男性无关。
情绪加工和情绪调节困难与男性和女性的饮食心理病理学都有关。未发现重评与男性饮食心理病理学的减轻有关，这表明针对该策略的干预措施应谨慎。围绕解释机制和干预措施的研究必须采取更广泛的观点，包括那些在饮食失调中传统上被忽视的观点。
