City Research Online

Abstract

Recent evidence has highlighted that a moderate degree of disordered eating has become the norm among the general population. While previous research has demonstrated that individuals with eating disorders exhibit heightened weak central coherence (i.e., attention to detail) and cognitive rigidity, and this plays a key role in the development and maintenance of the disorders, less is known about the relationship between disordered eating and these cognitive styles in subclinical community samples. A community sample of females completed self-report measures of weak central coherence, cognitive rigidity and eating disorder pathology. Unlike previous studies in the area, we first excluded participants with a diagnosis of eating disorder and then confined the analyses to those without clinically significant disordered eating. In line with the clinical literature, we found both cognitive rigidity and weak central coherence to correlate with severity and frequency of disordered eating behaviours and cognitions, suggesting the relationship also exists in subclinical samples. If replicated and expanded upon, these findings may bear important implications for the prevention and early identification of disordered eating in the community.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This article is available under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license and permits non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Publisher Keywords:	Eating disorders, Disordered eating, Attention to detail, Weak central coherence, Cognitive rigidity
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Departments:	School of Health & Psychological Sciences School of Health & Psychological Sciences > Psychology
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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