Volume 29, Issue 5, 2020
DOI: 10.24205/03276716.2020.1044
Meaning in life in Eating Disorders patients with Non-Suicidal Self Injuries
Abstract
Low meaning in life it is associated to psychopathology in a large amount of research in clinical sample. However, the studies on meaning in life in people with eating disorders is scarce. Moreover, important NSSI rates have been reported in patients with eating disorders. The aims of the study are: (1) to analyze whether the participants diagnosed with eating disorders have lower meaning in life than the general population; (2) to analyze possible differences in meaning in life among participants based on the eating disorder diagnosis (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and EDNOS) or subtype (restrictive vs. purgative); (3) to study which psychopathological variables (hopelessness, meaning in life) differentiate the participants diagnosed with eating disorders with NSSI from participants without NSSI. We obtained data from 76 participants diagnosed with eating disorders, 19.7% with NSSI. Results showed that participants diagnosed with eating disorders had lower meaning life than the non-clinical participants. We did not find any statistically significant differences in meaning in life between participants diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and EDNOS. Finally, only meaning in life differentiated between participants with NSSI and participants without NSSI. This study examines the association between meaning in life and eating disorders, and it indicates that meaning in life is a relevant variable in the psychopathology of eating disorders
Keywords
Meaning in life, Non-Suicidal Self-Injury, Eating Disorders, Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa