Relationship between self-soothing, aloneness, and evocative memory in bulimia nervosa

✍ Scribed by Esplen, Mary Jane ;Garfinkel, Paul ;Gallop, Ruth

• Book ID: 101264276
• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 97 KB
• Volume: 27
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0276-3478
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(200001)27:1<96::aid-eat11>3.0.co;2-s

✦ Synopsis

Objective:

The relationship between characteristics of self-soothing ability, the capacity for evocative memory, and aloneness was investigated in a clinical sample of 50 bulimia nervosa (BN) patients. Method: Individuals meeting DSM-III-R criteria for BN who participated in a randomized trial of guided imagery completed measures of Soothing Receptivity and a modified version of the UCLA-Loneliness scale, resulting in the Aloneness/ Evocative Memory Scale. Results: A lower level of soothing receptivity (indicating a decreased capacity for self-soothing) was correlated with a decreased capacity for evocative memory. A lower level of soothing receptivity and decreased capacity for evocative memory were associated with a greater experience of aloneness. Discussion: Results suggest the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the role of affect regulation and the experience of aloneness in BN and the need to develop treatments to specifically address these features of the illness.