Emotion regulation difficulties in anorexia nervosa: Relationship to self-perceived sensory sensitivity

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Rhonda M. Merwin, Duke University; Ashley A. Moskovich, Duke University; H. Ryan Wagner, Duke University; Lorie Ritschel, Emory University; Linda Craighead, Emory University; Nancy L. Zucker, Duke University
• Language: English
• Date: 2013-04-01
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge): STM, Behavioural Science and Public Health Titles
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2012.719003
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Cognition and Emotion
• ISSN: 0269-9931
• Volume: 27
• Issue: 3
• Start Page: 441
• End Page: 452
• Grant/Funding Information: This research is supported by NIH grants R01-MH-078211 (Zucker).
• Keywords: EATING-DISORDER EXAMINATION; Sensory sensitivity; INTEROCEPTIVE AWARENESS; Social Sciences; QUESTIONNAIRE; Acceptance; Psychology, Experimental; PSYCHOPATHOLOGY; ACCEPTANCE; MODEL; Anorexia nervosa; Psychology; AMENORRHEA; AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS; Sensation; Emotion regulation; RECOGNITION; INTERVIEW
• Research Categories: Psychology, Experimental; Health Sciences, Mental Health

Abstract

Changes in sensation (e.g., prickly skin) are crucial constituents of emotional experience, and the intensity of perceived changes has been linked to emotional intensity and dysregulation. The current study examined the relationship between sensory sensitivity and emotion regulation among adults with anorexia nervosa (AN), a disorder characterised by disturbance in the experience of the body. Twenty-one individuals with AN, 20 individuals with AN who were weight-restored, and 23 typical controls completed self-report measures of sensory sensitivity and emotion regulation. AN participants reported heightened sensory sensitivity and greater difficulty regulating emotions relative to controls. Self-perceived sensory sensitivity was associated with greater emotion dysregulation. Weight-restored AN participants reported greater ability to regulate emotions than their currently underweight counterparts, despite heightened sensitivity. Findings suggest that hypersensitivity may be a persisting feature in AN, and that weight restoration may involve improved ability to cope with sensation.