Geiger Gina, Opladen Vanessa, Vivell Maj-Britt, Vocks Silja, Hartmann Andrea S
Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy of Childhood and Adolescence, Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.
Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany.
PLoS One. 2024 Dec 26;19(12):e0316190. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0316190. eCollection 2024.
Body checking is a common behavior in both the general population and individuals with body image disturbances. Cognitive-behavioral theories postulate that body checking reduces negative emotions in the short term, but over time contributes to the development and maintenance of eating disorder pathology. So far, few experimental studies have assessed these longer-term consequences, mostly under laboratory conditions, yielding inconsistent findings, and without considering individual vulnerability and specific personality traits. In a naturalistic experimental cross-over design, women with low (n = 76) vs. high (n = 103) body concern completed an online survey on trait characteristics (e.g., intolerance of uncertainty). After a two-day baseline to assess the daily amount of habitual body checking, participants underwent two three-day experimental conditions in randomized order, in which they were asked to exhibit typical vs. threefold increased body checking. Before and after conditions, participants completed state measures of eating disorder symptoms, body dissatisfaction, affect, and general pathology online. In women with high body concern, body image-related symptoms (i.e., drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction) and negative affect worsened in the increased body checking condition, whereas in the typical body checking condition, positive affect increased and no negative impact emerged. Conversely, women with low body concern remained unaffected, except for higher drive for thinness following the increased condition. Bulimic and depressive symptoms did not change in either group. The inclusion of intolerance of uncertainty from an exploratory perspective generally did not impact the results. Our findings regarding the high-risk group underscore the potential etiological relevance of body checking for body image disturbances and eating disorders. For individuals at risk and those already affected by eating disorders, it seems important to address individual body checking as early as possible within psychoeducation to prevent a presumably harmful increase in this behavior. Personality factors influencing vulnerability to body checking need to be further examined.
身体检查在普通人群和有身体意象障碍的个体中都是一种常见行为。认知行为理论假定，身体检查在短期内能减少负面情绪，但随着时间推移会导致饮食失调病理的发展和维持。到目前为止，很少有实验研究评估这些长期后果，大多是在实验室条件下进行，结果不一致，且未考虑个体易感性和特定人格特质。在一项自然主义实验交叉设计中，身体关注度低（n = 76）与高（n = 103）的女性完成了一项关于特质特征（如对不确定性的不耐受）的在线调查。在进行为期两天的基线评估以确定日常习惯性身体检查量之后，参与者按随机顺序接受两个为期三天的实验条件，在这些条件下，她们被要求表现出典型的身体检查行为或身体检查行为增加三倍。在每个条件前后，参与者在线完成饮食失调症状、身体不满、情绪和一般病理的状态测量。在身体关注度高的女性中，在身体检查增加的条件下，与身体意象相关的症状（即追求瘦身、身体不满）和负面情绪恶化，而在典型身体检查条件下，积极情绪增加且未出现负面影响。相反，身体关注度低的女性除了在身体检查增加的条件后追求瘦身的欲望更高外，其余未受影响。两组的暴食和抑郁症状均未改变。从探索性角度纳入对不确定性的不耐受一般不影响结果。我们关于高危人群的研究结果强调了身体检查对于身体意象障碍和饮食失调潜在的病因学相关性。对于有风险的个体以及那些已经受饮食失调影响的人，在心理教育中尽早解决个体的身体检查问题以防止这种行为可能有害的增加似乎很重要。影响身体检查易感性的人格因素需要进一步研究。
