The Thinner the Better: Self-Esteem and Low Body Weight in Anorexia Nervosa

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Thinner the Better

T2 - Self-Esteem and Low Body Weight in Anorexia Nervosa

AU - Brockmeyer, Timo

AU - Holtforth, Martin Grosse

AU - Bents, Hinrich

AU - Kämmerer, Annette

AU - Herzog, Wolfgang

AU - Friederich, Hans-Christoph

N1 - Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PY - 2012/2/9

Y1 - 2012/2/9

N2 - The aim of the present study was to examine the associations between self-esteem, motive satisfaction, and body weight in acute (acAN) and recovered (recAN) inpatients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and in healthy controls. Both acAN and recAN showed lower levels of self-esteem as compared with healthy controls but did not differ from each other. In acAN, decreased body weight was associated with increased self-esteem. Satisfaction of an achievement motive but not satisfaction of a superiority motive mediated this association. No such correlations could be observed in the other groups. This is the first study to show an often assumed association between decreased body weight and increased self-esteem in AN patients. These preliminary results strengthen the assumption that low body weight may foster self-esteem in patients with acAN, mainly through the satisfaction of an achievement motive.KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE: Self-esteem should be focused very early in the treatment of AN since weight gain may deprive the patient of an important source of self-esteem. Treatment interventions should be attuned to underlying motives of threatened self-esteem; in AN patients, the enhancement of self-esteem via weight loss seems to be rather fuelled by the satisfaction of an achievement motive than by the satisfaction of a superiority motive. Specific trainings to improve self-esteem in AN patients seem to be promising as an add-on to regular treatment.

AB - The aim of the present study was to examine the associations between self-esteem, motive satisfaction, and body weight in acute (acAN) and recovered (recAN) inpatients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and in healthy controls. Both acAN and recAN showed lower levels of self-esteem as compared with healthy controls but did not differ from each other. In acAN, decreased body weight was associated with increased self-esteem. Satisfaction of an achievement motive but not satisfaction of a superiority motive mediated this association. No such correlations could be observed in the other groups. This is the first study to show an often assumed association between decreased body weight and increased self-esteem in AN patients. These preliminary results strengthen the assumption that low body weight may foster self-esteem in patients with acAN, mainly through the satisfaction of an achievement motive.KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE: Self-esteem should be focused very early in the treatment of AN since weight gain may deprive the patient of an important source of self-esteem. Treatment interventions should be attuned to underlying motives of threatened self-esteem; in AN patients, the enhancement of self-esteem via weight loss seems to be rather fuelled by the satisfaction of an achievement motive than by the satisfaction of a superiority motive. Specific trainings to improve self-esteem in AN patients seem to be promising as an add-on to regular treatment.

KW - Acute Disease

KW - Adolescent

KW - Adult

KW - Analysis of Variance

KW - Anorexia Nervosa

KW - Body Image

KW - Body Mass Index

KW - Body Weight

KW - Cross-Sectional Studies

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Inpatients

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Motivation

KW - Personal Satisfaction

KW - Self Concept

KW - Surveys and Questionnaires

KW - Thinness

KW - Young Adult

U2 - 10.1002/cpp.1771

DO - 10.1002/cpp.1771

M3 - Article

C2 - 22311699

SN - 1063-3995

VL - 20

SP - 394

EP - 400

JO - Clinical psychology & psychotherapy

JF - Clinical psychology & psychotherapy

IS - 5

ER -