Body checking as a behavioral link: a preliminary study assessing inhibition and its association to idiosyncratic body checking in anorexia nervosa

Eat Behav. 2014 Dec;15(4):591-4. doi: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2014.08.003. Epub 2014 Aug 23.

Abstract

Body checking (BC) is a behavioral feature of anorexia nervosa (AN), which is also present in obsessive-compulsive (OC) disorders. This study assessed whether increased body checking in AN patients correlated with deficits in cognitive inhibition. A battery of neuropsychological tests (the Ravello Profile), OC disorder measures, and the Body Checking Questionnaire (BCQ) were administered to nine adolescent females being treated for AN at an in-patient hospital in Scotland, UK. Neuropsychological measures were assessed using composite variables. Body Checking prevalence was split into high and low category to compare across groups. A negative relationship between cognitive inhibition and idiosyncratic body checking was evident. Clinically, increased body-checking symptoms were related to OC symptoms. These findings provide preliminary evidence that idiosyncratic body checking in AN patients may indicate a similar neuropsychological profile found in those with checking behaviors in OCD patients.

Keywords: Anorexia nervosa; Body checking; Inhibition.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Anorexia Nervosa / psychology*
  • Body Image / psychology*
  • Cognition Disorders / diagnosis
  • Cognition Disorders / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Inhibition, Psychological*
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / diagnosis
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / psychology
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
  • Scotland
  • Surveys and Questionnaires