This study aims to compare a new electronic instrument called (here referred to as the 'Body App') with traditional paper and pencil rating scales for assessing how individuals with eating disorders evaluate their body image.
Self-perceived weight or shape disturbance is a core symptom of eating disorders, with heavy therapeutic and prognostic relevance. Developing a reliable and unbiased method to assess body image disturbance is imperative, as feature characteristics of eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, include the overestimation of body size and shape. Among the most essential features of the disorder, this inability to correctly judge one's own body image has been frequently linked to the maintenance of eating disorders. Moreover, persistent perceptual disturbance for one's visual appearance is one of the strong predictors of relapse in AN and bulimia nervosa. Body image disturbance can be conceptualized as having two main components: perceptual, and attitudinal/affective. These might be considered two distinct constructs, best measured independently. However, clinicians currently rely upon self-report questionnaires that evaluate aggregates of symptoms, perceptual experiences, behaviors, and thoughts linked to the disorder. Some scales selectively evaluate body image characteristics such as body dissatisfaction and body distortion. However, it is unclear to what degree each of these measures quantifies the specific components of perceptual experiences vs. attitudinal/affective aspects. This study aims to evaluate whether a new electronic instrument, here referred to as the 'Body App', which separates estimations of body shape and size from the attitudinal/affective component might result in closer approximations of the perceptual component of weight or shape disturbance, and facilitate the assessment of body image disturbance in eating disorders.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
135
Participants will indicate areas of concern on a virtual manikin using an electronic online interface. Body measurements will also be collected.
Laureate Institute for Brain Research
Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Body image distortion score on the Body App Tool
Discrepancy between subjective body estimation on avatar and actual measurement of corresponding body part
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Body image dissatisfaction score on the Photographic Figure Rating Scale
Average of the absolute change in body image dissatisfaction across each measurement (score range: 0 to 10; larger changes indicate greater severity of body image dissatisfaction)
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Body image disturbance on the Body Appreciation Scale-2
Average of the absolute change in body image disturbance across each measurement relative to baseline (range 10 to 50, higher scores indicating reduced severity of body image disturbance)
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Eating disorder severity on the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire
Average of the absolute change in overall eating disorder severity across each measurement relative to baseline (range 0 to 6, larger scores indicate greater severity of eating disorder)
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Body image disturbance on the Body Image States Scale
Average of the absolute change in body image disturbance across each measurement relative to baseline (range 0 to 48, higher scores indicate greater severity of body image disturbance)
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Body dysmorphic concerns on the Dysmorphic Concerns Questionnaire
Average of the absolute change in dysmorphic concerns across each measurement relative to baseline (range 0 to 21, higher scores indicate greater severity of dysmorphic concerns)
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Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Exercise addiction on the Exercise Addiction Inventory
Average of the absolute change in exercise addiction across each measurement relative to baseline (range 6 to 30, higher scores indicate greater severity of exercise addiction)
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year