Reflective Functioning in 70 Patients Suffering from Bulimia Nervosa

Signe Holm Pedersen; Susanne Lunn; Hannah Katznelson; Stig Bernt Poulsen

doi:10.1002/erv.2158

Reflective Functioning in 70 Patients Suffering from Bulimia Nervosa

Signe Holm Pedersen, Susanne Lunn, Hannah Katznelson, Stig Bernt Poulsen

33 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective This study is the first to evaluate the reflective functioning abilities of patients suffering from bulimia nervosa (BN). Method Seventy patients fulfilling Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for BN were interviewed with the Adult Attachment Interview, which was subsequently coded for reflective functioning (RF). Results On average, the sample of patients suffering from BN had close to normal mentalizing abilities. However, the distribution of RF scores was significantly different from the distribution of RF in a non-clinical control group, showing a more polarized pattern with more low and high RF scores. Conclusion The study indicates that the theory of mentalization may contribute to understanding BN. However, bulimic pathology may develop and be maintained despite good mentalizing abilities.

Original language	English
Journal	European Eating Disorders Review
Volume	20
Issue number	4
Pages (from-to)	303-310
Number of pages	8
ISSN	1072-4133
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2158
Publication status	Published - Jul 2012

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10.1002/erv.2158

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title = "Reflective Functioning in 70 Patients Suffering from Bulimia Nervosa",

abstract = "Objective This study is the first to evaluate the reflective functioning abilities of patients suffering from bulimia nervosa (BN). Method Seventy patients fulfilling Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for BN were interviewed with the Adult Attachment Interview, which was subsequently coded for reflective functioning (RF). Results On average, the sample of patients suffering from BN had close to normal mentalizing abilities. However, the distribution of RF scores was significantly different from the distribution of RF in a non-clinical control group, showing a more polarized pattern with more low and high RF scores. Conclusion The study indicates that the theory of mentalization may contribute to understanding BN. However, bulimic pathology may develop and be maintained despite good mentalizing abilities.",

author = "Pedersen, {Signe Holm} and Susanne Lunn and Hannah Katznelson and Poulsen, {Stig Bernt}",

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AU - Pedersen, Signe Holm

AU - Lunn, Susanne

AU - Katznelson, Hannah

AU - Poulsen, Stig Bernt

PY - 2012/7

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N2 - Objective This study is the first to evaluate the reflective functioning abilities of patients suffering from bulimia nervosa (BN). Method Seventy patients fulfilling Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for BN were interviewed with the Adult Attachment Interview, which was subsequently coded for reflective functioning (RF). Results On average, the sample of patients suffering from BN had close to normal mentalizing abilities. However, the distribution of RF scores was significantly different from the distribution of RF in a non-clinical control group, showing a more polarized pattern with more low and high RF scores. Conclusion The study indicates that the theory of mentalization may contribute to understanding BN. However, bulimic pathology may develop and be maintained despite good mentalizing abilities.

AB - Objective This study is the first to evaluate the reflective functioning abilities of patients suffering from bulimia nervosa (BN). Method Seventy patients fulfilling Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for BN were interviewed with the Adult Attachment Interview, which was subsequently coded for reflective functioning (RF). Results On average, the sample of patients suffering from BN had close to normal mentalizing abilities. However, the distribution of RF scores was significantly different from the distribution of RF in a non-clinical control group, showing a more polarized pattern with more low and high RF scores. Conclusion The study indicates that the theory of mentalization may contribute to understanding BN. However, bulimic pathology may develop and be maintained despite good mentalizing abilities.

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JO - European Eating Disorders Review

JF - European Eating Disorders Review

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ER -

Reflective Functioning in 70 Patients Suffering from Bulimia Nervosa

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