Background
Methods
The body shape questionnaire
The beck depression inventory
The eating disorder inventory – 2
The temperament and character inventory
The diagnostic criteria for psychosomatic research
Statistical analysis
Results
Sociodemographic and clinical features of the sample
AN-R | AN-BP | Total sample | Chi-square/t | p | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
(N = 76) | (N = 32) | (N = 108) | |||
Married (%) | 12 | 14 | 13 | 0.041 | 0.839 |
Living alone (%) | 6 | 10 | 9 | 0.211 | 0.644 |
Occupation (%) | 22 | 28 | 24 | 0.240 | 0.624 |
Age (mean ± SD) | 26.1 ± 9.1 | 30.7 ± 8.9 | 27.4 ± 9.2 | −2.477 |
0.016
|
Years of education (mean ± SD) | 12.9 ± 2.6 | 13.4 ± 3.1 | 13.1 ± 2.6 | −0.479 | 0.637 |
Body Mass Index (mean ± SD) | 14.8 ± 2.4 | 15.2 ± 3.3 | 14.9 ± 2.7 | −0.865 | 0.392 |
Number of previous outpatient treatments (mean ± SD) | 0.6 ± 0.8 | 0.7 ± 0.9 | 0.6 ± 0.9 | −0.364 | 0.718 |
Duration of illness (years, mean ± SD) | 7.8 ± 8.2 | 12.4 ± 8.4 | 9.1 ± 8.5 | −2.652 |
0.009
|
Age of onset (years, mean ± SD) | 18.3 ± 6.1 | 18.2 ± 5.2 | 18.3 ± 5.8 | −0.072 | 0.942 |
Number of hospitalizations in the previous year (mean ± SD) | 1.1 ± 1.7 | 1.92 ± 3.4 | 1.4 ± 2.4 | −1.046 | 0.302 |
TCI | |||||
Novelty seeking | 16.3 ± 5.7 | 19.4 ± 6.1 | −2.401 |
0.018
| |
Harm avoidance | 23.4 ± 11.3 | 21.5 ± 8.0 | 0.849 | 0.398 | |
Reward dependence | 14. ± 3.9 | 12.5 ± 4.5 | 1.762 | 0.081 | |
Persistence | 6.4 ± 9.6 | 5.2 ± 2.7 | 0.663 | 0.509 | |
Self-directedness | 23.8 ± 9.7 | 20.1 ± 7.5 | 1.840 | 0.069 | |
Cooperativeness | 31.0 ± 7.6 | 29.4 ± 7.3 | 0.999 | 0.320 | |
Self-trascendence | 12.6 ± 6.5 | 15.8 ± 5.9 | 2.346 |
0.021
| |
EDI-2 | |||||
Drive for thinness | 10.9 ± 7.6 | 10.2 ± 6.9 | 0.385 | 0.701 | |
Bulimia | 2.5 ± 3.7 | 6.1 ± 6.3 | −3.516 |
0.001
| |
Body dissatisfaction | 12.2 ± 6.7 | 13.7 ± 7.7 | −0.910 | 0.365 | |
Ineffectiveness | 9.6 ± 8.0 | 11.9 ± 8.2 | −1.261 | 0.210 | |
Perfectionism | 5.3 ± 4.3 | 6.6 ± 4.6 | −1.248 | 0.215 | |
Interpersonal distrust | 6.7 ± 5.4 | 8.1 ± 5.7 | −1.135 | 0.259 | |
Interoceptive awareness | 10.4 ± 7.9 | 12.5 ± 9.1 | −1.130 | 0.261 | |
Maturity fears | 7.4 ± 5.3 | 8.4 ± 6.3 | −0.747 | 0.457 | |
Asceticism | 6.9 ± 4.7 | 9.7 ± 6.4 | −2.332 |
0.022
| |
Impulse regulation | 5.9 ± 6.1 | 9.5 ± 7.4 | −2.504 |
0.014
| |
Social insecurity | 7.5 ± 5.1 | 10.3 ± 5.6 | −2.359 |
0.020
| |
BSQ | 103.1 ± 42.1 | 103.2 ± 48.3 | −0.006 | 0.995 | |
BDI | 14.8 ± 7.5 | 17.0 ± 8.0 | −1.259 | 0.211 |
Psychiatric assessment
Diagnostic criteria for psychosomatic research
AN-R | AN-BP | Total sample | Chi-square | p | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
% (N) | % (N) | % (N) | |||
Illness denial | 61.8% (47) | 65.6% (21) | 63% (68) | 0.138 | 0.710 |
Alexithymia | 52.6% (40) | 59.4% (19) | 54.6% (59) | 0.413 | 0.520 |
Demoralization | 43.4% (33) | 62.5% (20) | 49.1% (53) | 3.280 | 0.071 |
Functional symptoms | 38.2% (29) | 50% (16) | 41.7% (45) | 1.299 | 0.254 |
Type A behaviour | 35.5% (27) | 43.8% (14) | 38% (41) | 0.647 | 0.421 |
Irritable mood | 30.3% (23) | 50% (16) | 36.1 (39) | 3.802 | 0.051 |
Conversion symptom | 21.1% (16) | 28.1% (9) | 23.1% (25) | 0.633 | 0.426 |
Health anxiety | 25% (19) | 18.8% (6) | 23.1% (25) | 0.494 | 0.482 |
Anniversary reaction | 7.9% (6) | 18.8% (6) | 11.1% (12) | 2.687 | 0.101 |
Persistent somatization | 9.2% (7) | 12.5% (4) | 10.2% (11) | 0.266 | 0.606 |
Disease phobia | 5.3% (4) | 12.5% (4) | 7.4% (8) | 1.719 | 0.190 |
Thanatophobia | 6.6% (5) | 6.3% (2) | 6.5% (7) | 0.004 | 0.949 |
Moderate psychosomatic group | Somatization group | Severe psychosomatic group | Chi-square | p | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
(N = 53) % (N) | (N = 28) % (N) | (N = 27) % (N) | |||
AN-BP subtype | 25% (8) | 53% (17) | 22% (7) | ||
AN-R subtype | 57% (44) | 15% (12) | 27% (20) | 15.58 |
0.001
|
Health anxiety | 0% (0) | 7% (2) | 85% (23) | 77.59 |
0.001
|
Disease phobia | 0% (0) | 14% (4) | 15% (4) | 8.18 |
0.017
|
Thanatophobia | 2% (1) | 21% (6) | 0% (0) | 13.85 |
0.002
|
Illness denial | 52% (27) | 54% (15) | 93% (15) | 13.88 |
0.001
|
Functional symptoms | 15% (8) | 64% (18) | 70% (19) | 29.74 |
0.001
|
Persistent somatization | 6% (3) | 21% (6) | 7% (2) | 5.16 | 0.076 |
Conversion symptom | 12% (6) | 60% (17) | 7% (2) | 29.716 |
0.001
|
Anniversary reaction | 0% (0) | 39% (11) | 0% (0) | 34.59 |
0.001
|
Type A behaviour | 19% (10) | 57% (16) | 56% (15) | 15.60 |
0.001
|
Irritable mood | 2% (1) | 54% (15) | 85% (23) | 57.99 |
0.001
|
Demoralization | 19% (10) | 61% (17) | 96% (26) | 44.12 |
0.001
|
Alexithymia | 38% (20) | 39% (11) | 100% (27) | 30.51 |
0.001
|
Moderate psychosomatic group | Somatization group | Severe psychosomatic group | F | F Sign | p Group 1 vs Group 2 | p Group 2 vs Group 3 | p Group 1 vs Group 3 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Group 1 (N = 53) mean ± SD | Group 2 (N = 28) mean ± SD | Group 3 (N = 27) mean ± SD | ||||||
BMI | 14.6 ± 1.9 | 16.1 ± 3.3 | 14.1 ± 2.7 | 4.88 |
0.009
|
0.037
|
0.012
| 1.000 |
EDI-2 | ||||||||
Bulimia | 2.8 ± 4.7 | 6.3 ± 6.1 | 2.5 ± 2.4 | 5.31 |
0.007
|
0.010
|
0.021
| 1.000 |
Body | ||||||||
dissatisfaction | 11.12 ± 7 | 16.8 ± 6.7 | 12 ± 5.6 | 6.0 |
0.004
|
0.003
|
0.046
| 1.000 |
Ineffectiveness | 7.5 ± 7.1 | 15.9 ± 8.5 | 11.0 ± 6.9 | 10.11 |
0.001
|
0.001
| 0.089 | 0.189 |
Perfectionism | 4.6 ± 3.6 | 7.4 ± 4.7 | 6.4 ± 5.1 | 3.84 |
0.025
|
0.030
| 1.000 | 0.296 |
Interoceptive | ||||||||
awareness | 8.7 ± 7.3 | 17.8 ± 8.1 | 10 ± 6.8 | 12.27 |
0.001
|
0.001
|
0.002
| 1.000 |
Asceticism | 5.9 ± 4.1 | 11.2 ± 6.4 | 8.4 ± 5.1 | 8.85 |
0.001
|
0.001
| 0.201 | 0.152 |
Impulsiveness | 4.2 ± 5.1 | 13.8 ± 7 | 6.6 ± 4 | 24.5 |
0.001
|
0.001
|
0.001
| 0.251 |
Social insecurity | 6.5 ± 4.9 | 12 ± 5.7 | 8.6 ± 4.2 | 9.5 |
0.001
|
0.001
| 0.078 | 0.277 |
BSQ | 89 ± 34.2 | 140.6 ± 40.4 | 93.2 ± 42.8 | 8.33 |
0.001
|
0.001
|
0.006
| 1.000 |
TCI | ||||||||
Self-Directedness | 24.8 ± 9.9 | 16.6 ± 5.2 | 24.2 ± 8.2 | 8.19 |
0.001
|
0.001
|
0.009
| 1.000 |
BDI | 12.3 ± 6.9 | 21.9 ± 6.6 | 14.7 ± 5.5 | 16.71 |
0.001
|
0.001
|
0.002
| 0.569 |
Duration of illness (years) | 7.9 ± 8.8 | 7.8 ± 6.1 | 12.6 ± 9.1 | 3.25 |
0.043
| 1.000 | 0.108 |
0.049
|