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Attachment representations and alexithymia in community adolescents with binge-eating attitudes

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Abstract

Purpose

The aims of the current study were: (a) to compare community adolescent groups with and without binge eating (BE) on attachment representations and alexithymia, using an age-adapted interview to assess attachment; and (b) to explore the independent role of attachment and alexithymia as potentially related to BE in community adolescents.

Methods

Three hundred eighty-two community adolescents were screened with respect to BE symptoms through the Binge Eating Scale (BES). The 22 girls identified with BE (BE group) and 22 age- and gender-matched peers without BE (NBE group) were assessed with the Friends and Family Interview (FFI) and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20).

Results

Binge eating group reported greater attachment preoccupation in comparison to NBE, while no difference emerged in alexithymia. More insecure attachment patterns, both preoccupied and dismissing, were significantly and independently associated with BES score in community girls.

Conclusions

Insecure attachment, assessed with semi-structured interview, is associated with BE among adolescents’ community girls, while apparently alexithymia is not. Future prospective studies should assess the role of attachment in the development of BE in adolescents.

Level of Evidence

III, case–control analytic study.

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Acknowledgements

The author(s) did not receive financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Sciences (DISFOR), University of Genoa, Corso Andrea Podestà, 2, 16128, Genova, GE, Italy

    Cecilia Serena Pace & Stefania Muzi

  2. Department of Eating and Weight Disorders, Villa Garda Hospital, Via Monte Baldo, 89, 37016, Garda, Verona, Italy

    Simona Calugi & Riccardo Dalle Grave

Authors
  1. Cecilia Serena Pace
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  2. Stefania Muzi
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  3. Simona Calugi
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  4. Riccardo Dalle Grave
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Correspondence to Cecilia Serena Pace.

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All procedure was in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee, the international standards and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments, and it was approved by the Research Ethical Committee of the Department of Educational Sciences at University of Genoa.

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Written informed consent was obtained from all legal guardians and participants, before the data collection.

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Pace, C.S., Muzi, S., Calugi, S. et al. Attachment representations and alexithymia in community adolescents with binge-eating attitudes. Eat Weight Disord 26, 689–693 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-020-00897-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-020-00897-5

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