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Objective: This study explored the association between Childhood maltreatment (CM) experiences and life satisfaction in adolescents with eating disorders (EDs). Methods: Adolescent inpatients with EDs completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Satisfaction With Life Scale, the Brief Symptom Inventory and the Eating Disorder Inventory–2 at admission (n = 361) and discharge (n = 354). A network analysis was conducted to identify the shortest pathways between different types of CM and life satisfaction at admission and discharge. Results: General psychopathology, life satisfaction, and ED symptoms improved from admission to discharge. At admission, emotional abuse and emotional neglect were included in the pathway between sexual/physical abuse and life satisfaction. Emotional neglect was directly connected with life satisfaction while emotional abuse was connected through feeling disliked by others, feelings of inferiority and worthlessness. At discharge, only the direct negative connection between emotional neglect and perception of excellent conditions in the life persisted. Conclusions: Emotional maltreatment experiences and general psychopathology, but not disordered eating symptoms, are involved in the association between sexual/physical CM and life satisfaction in adolescents with EDs. Emotional neglect may affect life satisfaction regardless of symptoms severity. These findings inform clinicians for assessment and treatment of maltreated adolescents with EDs. Highlights: Physical and sexual abuse are connected to life satisfaction through emotional abuse and neglectFeeling disliked by others, feelings of inferiority and worthlessness are included in the connection between emotional abuse and life satisfactionThe negative connection between emotional neglect and life satisfaction persists after treatment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been widely assumed that longer illness duration predicts poorer treatment outcome in persons with anorexia nervosa (AN). However, studies on the prognostic effects of illness duration have produced mixed results. Thus, the aim of the current study was to examine the relationship between illness duration and short-term treatment outcome in a large sample of female inpatients with AN (n = 902, aged 12–73 years). Treatment outcome variables included body mass index, therapist-rated global functioning (Global Assessment of Functioning scale and Clinical Global Impression–Improvement scale) and subscales of the Eating Disorder Inventory–2. Longer illness duration predicted smaller weight gain, smaller improvements in global functioning, and smaller decreases in self-reported eating disorder symptoms. However, illness duration was almost perfectly correlated with patients' age (r =.81, 95% CI [.76,.85]), and comparing regression models revealed that models using either illness duration or age were indistinguishable. Results suggest that longer illness duration does indeed relate to worse short-term treatment outcome in inpatients with AN. This effect, however, does not add significant information above and beyond patients' age and, thus, the importance of illness duration for anticipating treatment outcome both in research and in clinical practice must be critically examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driven exercise (i.e., feeling compelled to exercise to control one's weight or shape, to obtain other positive consequences of exercising, or to avoid other negative consequences of not exercising) is a common phenomenon in individuals with eating disorders (EDs), typically associated with negative clinical outcomes. Current theoretical models of driven exercise highlight the short‐term affect‐regulating outcome of acute driven exercise, which is implicated to maintain this symptom either by positive or negative reinforcement. However, few studies have actually investigated cognitive, affective, and psychobiological mechanisms related to acute driven exercise. In particular, experimental studies that directly test mechanisms leading to the short‐term affective improvement after acute driven exercise are scarce. In this article, we therefore propose potential cognitive, affective, and psychobiological mechanisms that could explain the affect‐regulating function of driven exercise in individuals with EDs. In addition, we suggest examples of experimental studies that could directly test these mechanisms in individuals with EDs, as recent studies have demonstrated the safety of supervised exercise in EDs research. Our aim of stimulating research on the underlying causes and maintenance factors of driven exercise in EDs has the potential to critically inform treatment development for this high‐risk population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Eating disorders have a considerable influence on social contacts. The avoidance towards the own body may result in the avoidance of others. Previous research has found a preference for larger interaction distances in individuals with eating disorders (ED) as compared to control participants (CG). We aimed to replicate these findings and to investigate whether the body weight of the interactant moderates the effect. Method: We recruited a female sample with mixed ED subtypes (n = 21) and a female CG (n = 28). Participants were immersed in a virtual environment and engaged in a number of fictitious social interactions. They approached a virtual person until a comfortable distance for interaction was reached. The approached virtual persons differed with respect to body weight in five levels (underweight to obese). Results: Our results indicate that interpersonal distance varies as a U‐shaped function of the avatar's body weight, and that higher levels of body avoidance, present in ED individuals, magnify this effect. Conclusions: We discuss our results with regard to the role of perspective and disgust to provide a useful framework and to motivate future studies in the domain of body avoidance in social interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) often show increased levels of exercise and physical activity. Psychological models suggest that physical activity in AN might attenuate momentary negative affect. However, this has not been directly tested in adolescents with AN, and it remains unclear whether this is a distinct mechanism of physical activity in AN compared with healthy controls (HCs)., Method: In a 1-day ecological momentary assessment, 32 adolescent inpatients with AN and 30 HCs responded to hourly questions on momentary affect while wearing an actigraph to objectively assess physical activity., Results: Linear mixed models identified that adolescents with AN experienced more aversive tension, more negative affect, and less positive affect throughout the day than HCs. Preliminary evidence for a momentary association of higher levels of physical activity with positive affect were found for both groups, whereas higher levels of physical activity were associated with less negative affect in adolescents with AN only. When correcting for multiple testing, interactions did not hold statistical significance., Discussion: Our results indicate a down-regulation effect of physical activity on negative affect for AN and a more general up-regulation effect of positive affect. However, our sample size was small, and replication of our findings is needed., (© 2019 The Authors European Eating Disorders Review published by Eating Disorders Association and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)