Altered social hedonic processing in eating disorders.

Authors :: Tchanturia K
Davies H
Harrison A
Fox JR
Treasure J
Schmidt U
Source :: The International journal of eating disorders [Int J Eat Disord] 2012 Dec; Vol. 45 (8), pp. 962-9. Date of Electronic Publication: 2012 Jun 12.
Publication Year :: 2012
Abstract: Objective: Exploring social anhedonia in eating disorders (ED) was the main objective of this study. Social anhedonia relates to a reduced feeling of pleasure from social stimulation. Researching the exact nature of problems in interpersonal relationships is an important topic for clinicians and researchers in the field.<br />Method: The revised social anhedonia scale was completed by 148 participants: anorexia nervosa (AN) n = 72; bulimia nervosa (BN) n = 19; recovered AN n = 14; healthy controls (HC) n = 43. Participants also completed mood related measures and the Toronto Alexythimia scale.<br />Results: People with AN and BN had higher self-reported social anhedonia than people without ED. Recovered AN had an intermediate profile in between AN and HC. Clinical severity and alexithymia were strongly associated with social anhedonia scores.<br />Discussion: Difficulty identifying and expressing feelings could be related to this diminished drive for social pleasure. Tackling these interpersonal maintaining factors in treatment is likely to be a worthwhile endeavor.<br /> (Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)