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Do anxiety, depression, and intolerance of uncertainty contribute to social problem solving in adult women with anorexia nervosa?

Sternheim, L; Danner, U; van Elburg, A; Harrison, A; (2020) Do anxiety, depression, and intolerance of uncertainty contribute to social problem solving in adult women with anorexia nervosa? Brain and Behavior 10.1002/brb3.1588. (In press). Green open access

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Abstract

Introduction: Inefficient problem solving in the social domain may be one of the difficulties underlying the interpersonal challenges thought to maintain anorexia nervosa (AN). However, past studies have neglected to control for depression, anxiety, and intolerance of uncertainty (IU), which are known to contribute to social problem solving. Methods: This study aimed to investigate whether adults with AN would show differences in social problem solving on an experimental task (Means-End Problem Solving; MEPS) and report differences in their attitudes (positive, negative) toward social problem solving and their use of social problem-solving styles (rational, impulsive–careless, avoidant) on the Social Problem-Solving Inventory Revised (SPSRI) compared to a non-AN control group. Results: Seventy-four adult women took part (30 with AN and 44 non-AN controls), and data show that those with AN generated significantly less effective solutions on the MEPS (d = 1.96) reported overall poorer social problem solving on the SPSRI (d = 0.58), reporting more negative and less positive attitudes toward social problem solving, and less impulsive and more avoidant social problem-solving styles. However, those with AN did not differ from controls in being able to rationalize social problems. Once depression (Beck Depression Inventory: BDI), state anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory: STAI), and IU (Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-12; IUS-12) were included as covariates, these differences were no longer significant, suggesting that comorbid depression, anxiety, and IU symptoms may contribute to social problem solving in AN. Conclusions: There was no specific effect of depression. Treating anxiety and IU might help to improve social problem solving and enable people with AN to be able to better access social support to aid their recovery

Type: Article
Title: Do anxiety, depression, and intolerance of uncertainty contribute to social problem solving in adult women with anorexia nervosa?
Location: United States
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1588
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.1588
Language: English
Additional information: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Keywords: anorexia nervosa, cognitive interpersonal maintenance model, experimental measures, selfreport measures, social problem solving
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Psychology and Human Development
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10094865
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