| Abstract [eng] |
Earlier research in the area of eating disorder (VS) have identified their ties with insecure attachment, hightened sense of self-disgust and higher propensity to experience the feelings of shame. Despite the earlier empirical evidence, there remain questions regarding these associations, including one of whether and how the said phenomena (attachment, shame, self-disgust) present themselves differently depending on the specific type of VS – restricting type anorexia nervosa (AN), binge-purge type anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa (BN), binge-eating disorder (BED), and eating disorders not otherwise specified (OSFED). Aiming to differenciate the potential presentations, this research analyzed the data from 167 adult women (average age – 26.11) from around the world: 70 of them reported having significant eating problems, while 97 reported not having them. Based on the official VS diagnosis reported as well as the dominant symptomatology reflected in the VS-evaluating questionnaire, the participants were assigned to the said VS subtype groups. Our results have confirmed the findings of previous research that the women who have VS (as a group) were significantly more likely to manifest insecure attachment style, and experience the feelings of shame as well as self-disgust significantly more intensely, than women without VS. In addition, we found the following differences between VS types: (1) restricting AN and BN groups were much more likely to manifest anxious-ambivalent attachment style, while other VS diagnostic groups were more likely to show avoidant attachment style; (2) no differences were found between VS types in self-disgust, however, the anxious-ambivalent attachment style in the context of VS predicted the highest level of self-disgust; (3) the level of shame was significantly higher in both subtypes of AN and in BN, compared to other VS diagnostic groups, as well significantly higher when anxious-ambivalent attachment was present in the context of VS, compared to other attachment styles. The present findings, overall, confirm our main hypothesis regarding the differential presentation of attachment, shame and self-disgust in the case of separate VS diagnoses, which, we hope, will invite future researchers and clinicians to pay closer attention to the importance of such phenomena in the contexts of VS ethiology, progression and, eventually, treatment. |
