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Emotion Regulation in Bulimia Nervosa and Purging Disorder

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Eating Disorders

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Abstract

Individuals with bulimia nervosa and purging disorder often experience a range of difficulties effectively regulating their emotions, and eating disorder behaviors such as binge eating and purging often function as maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. A number of theoretical models are premised on or include the idea that eating disorder behaviors such as binge eating and purging function in large part to regulate negative emotions, and these models have been well supported by empirical research. Specific facets of emotion regulation that appear to be particularly challenging for many individuals with bulimia nervosa and purging disorder include accepting negative affective states, difficulties with impulse control during negative emotional states, and difficulty accessing and using emotion regulation strategies at such times. Research also shows a clear temporal and functional relationship between state negative affect and eating disorder behaviors. Several treatments including enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders, dialectical behavior therapy, and integrative cognitive-affective therapy for eating disorders include a focus on improving individuals’ ability to more effectively regulate emotions.

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Abbreviations

AN-BP:

Anorexia nervosa, binge eating/purging type

AN-R:

Anorexia nervosa, restricting type

CBT:

Cognitive behavioral therapy

CBT-E:

Enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders

DBT:

Dialectical behavior therapy

EMA:

Ecological momentary assessment

ICAT-BN:

Integrative cognitive-affective therapy for bulimia nervosa

OSFED:

Other specified feeding or eating disorder

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Mental Health, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Danielle E. MacDonald, Rachel Jewett, Rachel Liebman & Kathryn Trottier

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Danielle E. MacDonald, Rachel Liebman & Kathryn Trottier

  3. Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Shauna Solomon-Krakus & Rachel Liebman

  4. Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Rachel Jewett

Authors
  1. Danielle E. MacDonald
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  2. Shauna Solomon-Krakus
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  3. Rachel Jewett
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  4. Rachel Liebman
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  5. Kathryn Trottier
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Danielle E. MacDonald .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Westminster, London, UK

    Vinood Patel

  2. Dept Nutrition & Dietetics, King's College London, London, UK

    Victor Preedy

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MacDonald, D.E., Solomon-Krakus, S., Jewett, R., Liebman, R., Trottier, K. (2022). Emotion Regulation in Bulimia Nervosa and Purging Disorder. In: Patel, V., Preedy, V. (eds) Eating Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67929-3_44-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67929-3_44-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-67929-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-67929-3

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