Clinicians as a critical link
Understanding health professionals’ beliefs and attitudes toward anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21391759 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Deborah L Reas (0000-0002-3297-8498, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Regional Department for Eating Disorders Oslo University Hospital Oslo Norway, corresponding author), Rasmus Isomaa (0000-0002-2611-6007, Department of Social Services and Health Care Fredrikakliniken Jakobstad Finland), Kjersti Solhaug Gulliksen (The Norwegian Psychological Association Oslo Norway), Johanna Levallius (0000-0003-0520-999X, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 62 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 775-779 |
| Publication date | 2021-12-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Scandinavian Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0036-5564 • E-ISSN: 1467-9450 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/sjop.12777 |
| PMID | 34569633 |
| OpenAlex | W3202494096 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 33 |
Understanding the perspectives of health professionals remains an understudied issue, yet may help bridge research‐practice gaps and pinpoint important areas for education, training, and research. This study investigated attitudes toward anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED) among Nordic health professionals specialized within the eating disorder (ED) field. Participants ( n = 144) completed a modified ED‐version of the Illness Perception Questionnaire which assessed attitudes and beliefs toward perceived symptom controllability, severity, treatment effectiveness, and views on the prognosis of AN, BN, and BED. Personal enjoyment and level of comfort working with AN, BN, and BED were also assessed. The majority agreed or strongly agreed that patients with AN, BN, and BED were not responsible for their illness, and viewed the illnesses as psychological rather than medical in etiology. AN was viewed as the most severe and enduring, followed by BN, then BED. Treatment for BN was viewed as being more highly effective than treatments for either AN or BED. Professionals rated significantly less enjoyment and less confidence working with BED. To conclude, both commonalities and differences in attitudes toward AN, BN and BED were found in terms of perceived symptom controllability, views on severity, treatment effectiveness, and anticipated prognosis. In particular, findings emphasized the need for additional training in the management of BED among Nordic healthcare professionals
Anorexia nervosa · Binge-eating disorder · Bulimia nervosa · Eating disorders · Perception · Psychiatry · Psychotherapist · Clinical Psychology · Eating Disorders and Behaviors · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders · Psychology
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Eating disorders
The Prevalence and Correlates of Eating Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication
Epidemiology of eating disorders in Europe
The illness perception questionnaire
The Prevalence and Correlates of Binge Eating Disorder in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys
The relative stigmatization of eating disorders and obesity in males and females
| Highly cited | No |
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