Abstract
Prior research has supported associations between neurocognitive inefficiencies, including set-shifting and central coherence, and disordered eating psychopathology (DEP). Findings from one study suggest a more severe anorexia nervosa presentation for those with overlapping inefficiencies. To our knowledge, there are no empirical reports of overlapping inefficiencies and DEP in non-clinical, at-risk populations. DEP is prevalent among college women and is linked to impaired functioning; thus, this group represents a prime population to target. The current study investigated how level of self-reported DEP may differ according to neurocognitive profile in a sample of female college students. Participants (N = 144) completed the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) as well as computerized versions of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and Navon task. Median splits were used to categorize the participants into inefficiency groups according to their performance on both neurocognitive tasks. Results supported our hypothesis that those with overlapping inefficiencies would have higher levels of DEP than those with no inefficiencies. However, the overlapping inefficiency group did not differ significantly from the standalone set-shifting or central coherence inefficiency groups. Findings provide preliminary evidence that college women who demonstrate both cognitive inflexibility and a detail-oriented processing style may be prone to heightened DEP. Additional studies that control for potential confounds, use comprehensive neurocognitive batteries, utilize longitudinal designs, and recruit larger and more diverse samples are needed. Replication of this research could inform development of screening and early intervention efforts for college women who may be susceptible to DEP.
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Data Availability
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the Mendeley Data repository, https://doi.org/10.17632/4jrhfmc9jv.1
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The authors wish to thank Maria Rodriguez-Castro and Corynn Greene who assisted in the data collection and literature review for this project.
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This study was partially funded by the Feldman Family Fund of the Department of Psychology at Wesleyan University. The funding source had no role in the study design, collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, writing the manuscript, or the decision to submit the paper for publication.
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Caitlin Shepherd: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal Analysis, Investigation, Data Curation, Writing – Original Draft, Writing – Review & Editing, Visualization, Supervision Ilana Ladis: Methodology, Investigation, Resources, Data Curation, Writing – Review & Editing, Visualization, Project administration, Funding acquisition Amanda Jiang: Data Curation, Formal Analysis, Writing – Original Draft, Writing - Review & Editing, Visualization Wenxuan He: Data Curation, Formal Analysis, Writing - Original Draft, Writing – Review & Editing, Visualization.
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Shepherd, C.B., Ladis, I., Jiang, A. et al. Overlapping neurocognitive inefficiencies associated with higher disordered eating psychopathology in college women. Curr Psychol 41, 8538–8549 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01281-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01281-3