Abstract
This study examined the relation between eating expectancies, assessed via the Eating Expectancy Inventory, and eating disorder recovery. Individuals formerly seen for an eating disorder were categorized as having an active eating disorder (n = 53), as partially recovered (n = 15), or as fully recovered (n = 20). The expectancies of these groups were compared to each other and to 67 non-eating disorder controls. Results revealed that three of the five eating expectancies differed across groups. Non-eating disorder controls and fully recovered individuals endorsed similar levels of the expectancies that eating helps manage negative affect, eating is pleasurable and useful as a reward, and eating leads to feeling out of control. Partially recovered individuals looked more similar to active eating disorder cases on these expectancies. The other two expectancies did not differ across groups. Results provide some indication that certain eating expectancies may be associated with eating disorder recovery.
References
Bardone-Cone, A. M., Harney, M. B., Maldonado, C. R., Lawson, M. A., Robinson, D. P., Smith, R., et al. (2010). Defining recovery from an eating disorder: Conceptualization, validation, and examination of psychosocial functioning and psychiatric comorbidity. Behaviour Research and Theory, 48, 194–202. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2009.11.001.
Bohon, C., Stice, E., & Burton, E. (2009). Maintenance factors for persistence of bulimic pathology: A prospective natural history study. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 42, 173–178. doi:10.1002/eat.20600.
Bruce, K., Mansour, S., & Steiger, H. (2009). Expectancies related to thinness, dietary restriction, eating, and alcohol consumption in women with bulimia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 42, 253–258. doi:10.1002/eat.20594.
Combs, J. L., Smith, G. T., & Simmons, J. R. (2011). Distinctions between two expectancies in the prediction of maladaptive eating behavior. Personality and Individual Differences, 50, 25–30. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.0.015.
Couturier, J., & Lock, J. (2006). What is recovery in adolescent anorexia nervosa? International Journal of Eating Disorders, 39, 550–555. doi:10.1002/eat.20309.
Dingemans, A. E., Martijn, C., van Furth, E. F., & Jansen, A. T. M. (2009). Expectations, mood, and eating behavior in binge eating disorder. Beware of the bright side. Appetite, 53, 166–173. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2009.06.002.
Fairburn, C. G., & Beglin, S. J. (1994). Assessment of eating disorders: Interview or self-report questionnaire? International Journal of Eating Disorders, 16, 363–370.
Fairburn, C. G., Cooper, Z., & Shafran, R. (2003). Cognitive behaviour therapy for eating disorders: A “transdiagnostic” theory and treatment. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 41, 509–528. doi:10.1016/S0005-7967(02)00088-8.
Fairburn, C. G., & Harrison, P. J. (2003). Eating disorders. Lancet, 361, 407–416. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(03)12378-1.
First, M. B., Spitzer, R. L., Gibbon, M., & Williams, J. B. (1995). Structured clinical interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders—patient edition (SCID-I/P, Version 2.0). New York, NY: New York State Psychiatric Institute.
Fischer, S., Anderson, K. G., & Smith, G. (2004). Coping with distress by eating or drinking: Role of trait urgency and expectancies. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 18, 269–274. doi:10.1037/0893-164X.18.3.269.
Herzog, D. B., Sacks, N. R., Keller, M. B., Lavori, P. W., von Ranson, K. B., & Gray, H. M. (1993). Patterns and predictors of recovery in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32, 835–842. doi:10.1097/00004583-199307000-00020.
Hohlstein, L. A., Smith, G. T., & Atlas, J. G. (1998). An application of expectancy theory to eating disorders: Development and validation of measures of eating and dieting expectancies. Psychological Assessment, 10, 49–58. doi:10.1037/1040-3590.10.1.49.
Klump, K. L., Strober, M., Bulik, C. M., Thornton, L., Johnson, C., Devlin, B., et al. (2004). Personality characteristics of women before and after recovery from an eating disorder. Psychological Medicine, 34, 1407–1418. doi:10.1017/S0033291704002442.
Mond, J. M., Hay, P. J., Rodgers, B., & Owen, C. (2006). Eating disorder examination questionnaire (EDE-Q): Norms for young adult women. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44, 53–62. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2004.12.003.
Reas, D. L., Williamson, D. A., Martin, C. K., & Zucker, N. L. (2000). Duration of illness predicts outcome for bulimia nervosa: A long-term follow-up study. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 27, 428–434. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1098-108X(200005)27:4<428:AID-EAT7>3.0.CO;2-Y.
Simmons, J. R., Smith, G. T., & Hill, K. K. (2002). Validation of eating and dieting expectancy measures in two adolescent samples. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 31, 461–473. doi:10.1002/eat.10034.
Smith, G. T., Simmons, J. R., Flory, K., Annus, A. M., & Hill, K. K. (2007). Thinness and eating expectancies predict subsequent binge-eating and purging behavior among adolescent girls. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 116, 188–197. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.116.1.188.
Tolman, E. G. (1932). Purposive behavior in animals and men. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Tozzi, F., Thornton, L. M., Klump, K. L., Fichter, M. M., Halmi, K. A., Kaplan, A. S., et al. (2005). Symptom fluctuation in eating disorders: Correlates of diagnostic crossover. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162, 732–740. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.162.4.732.
Williamson, D. A., Muller, S. L., Reas, D. L., & Thaw, J. M. (1999). Cognitive bias in eating disorders: Implications for theory and treatment. Behavior Modification, 23, 556–577. doi:10.1177/0145445599234003.
Yackobovitch-Gavan, M., Golan, M., Valevski, A., Kreitler, S., Bachar, E., Lieblich, A., et al. (2009). An integrative quantitative model of factors influencing the course of anorexia nervosa over time. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 42, 306–317. doi:10.1002/eat.20624.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported in part by the following grants: NIH 1 R03MH074861-01A1; University of Missouri PRIME Grant; and University of Missouri Research Council Grant.
Conflict of interest
All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fitzsimmons-Craft, E.E., Keatts, D.A. & Bardone-Cone, A.M. Eating Expectancies in Relation to Eating Disorder Recovery. Cogn Ther Res 37, 1041–1047 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-013-9522-7
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-013-9522-7