Negative mood induction effects on problem-solving task in women with eating disorders: a multi-method examination

Abstract

Plain English summary There is some evidence that individuals with eating disorders experience more negative mood and have challenges with social problem-solving. However, the ability to solve social problems while in a negative mood has not yet been examined while also looking at physiological changes. We measured physiological responses of women with Binge Eating Disorder (BED; n = 56), Anorexia Nervosa (AN; n = 12), Bulimia Nervosa (BN; n = 32), and healthy controls (HCs; n = 24) before and after a task designed to induce a negative mood followed by a problem-solving task. The problem-solving task asked individuals to come up with solutions to social problems related to 1) binge-eating urges, 2) job loss, 3) rejection by friends, and 4) rejection of a significant other. We found that individuals with eating disorders reported less positive mood than HCs and individuals with BN and BED reported more negative mood and greater urges to binge than HCs. Individuals with BED generated fewer effective solutions on a binge-eating problem-solving task and had consistent respiratory sinus arrhythmia differences, which may indicate emotion regulation difficulties.

Keywords

• Eating disorders
• Problem-solving
• Respiratory sinus arrhythmia
• Interpersonal skills
• Anorexia nervosa
• Bulimia nervosa