Objective
Mindfulness and its related constructs (e.g., awareness and acceptance) are increasingly being recognized as relevant to understanding eating disorders and improving treatment. The purpose of this study was to (1) examine the relationship between mindfulness and ED symptomatology at baseline and (2) examine how changes in mindfulness relate to change in ED symptomatology.
Method
Measures of mindfulness and ED symptomatology were administered to 88 patients upon admission to residential ED treatment and at discharge.
Results
Baseline ED symptomatology was associated with lower awareness, acceptance, and cognitive defusion, and higher emotional avoidance. Improvements in these variables were related to improvement in ED symptomatology.
Discussion
Interventions targeting mindfulness could be beneficial for patients with EDs.
Highlights
► The relationship between mindfulness and eating disorders was examined. ► Symptomatology was associated with lower scores on mindfulness-related constructs. ► Change in mindfulness-related constructs was related to symptom improvement.
There is a growing body of research suggesting that mindfulness (i.e., non-judgmental, present-moment awareness) and its related constructs are relevant to understanding the development and maintenance of eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are both characterized by experiential avoidance and a strong desire to maintain control over eating-related behaviors, urges, thoughts, and feelings (Corstorphine et al., 2007, Merwin and Wilson, 2009, Merwin et al., 2010 and Orsillo and Batten, 2002). Eating disorder behaviors may be reinforced in part because they allow individuals to temporarily avoid other distressing internal experiences by focusing instead on one's weight or eating behavior (Hayes and Pankey, 2002, Heffner et al., 2002, Paxton and Diggens, 1997 and Schmidt and Treasure, 2006). Many individuals with eating disorders also have deficits in emotion recognition and emotional awareness (Harrison et al., 2009 and Sim and Zeman, 2004). Recognition and awareness of internal experience may be a precondition to cognitive defusion, which is the ability to have distance and perspective from the literal meaning of cognitive activity (Merwin et al., 2010).
A small number of case studies and pilot studies have suggested that mindfulness and acceptance might be effective foci of treatment for eating disorders (Anderson and Simmons, 2008, Baer et al., 2005, Juarascio et al., 2010, Kristeller et al., 2006 and Safer et al., 2009). However, very little data have been collected to determine whether improvements in mindfulness and related constructs (i.e., awareness, acceptance, cognitive defusion) are related to symptom severity and symptom improvement. The purpose of this study was to measure mindfulness in individuals at a residential treatment facility for eating disorders and (1) examine the relationship between mindfulness and eating disorder symptomatology at baseline and (2) examine how changes in mindfulness during the course of treatment related to change in eating disorder symptomatology. It was hypothesized that low levels of awareness, acceptance, and cognitive defusion, and high levels of emotional avoidance would be associated with greater eating disorder symptomatology at admission. It was also hypothesized that improvements in these variables during treatment would be associated with improvement in eating disorder symptomatology.
