ANOREKSİYA NERVOSA TANISI OLAN ERGEN KIZLARDA DUYGU DÜZENLEME, DUYGU TANIMA VE EMPATİ BECERİLERİ

Abstract

In this cross- sectional study adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) were compared to adolescents without any psychiatric disorder with respect to emotion regulation, emotion recognition, empathy and perceived expressed emotion. The relations between emotional functioning and depressive and anxiety symptoms, childhood traumatic experiences and attachment security were also examined. Thirty-two adolescent girls with AN aged between 12-18 and 32 healthy adolescents who were matched with the study group in respect to age, gender and socioeconomic status were participated. K- SADS-PL was applied to all adolescents in order to diagnose AN in the study group and to rule out psychiatric disorders in the control group. All adolescents completed Eating Attitudes Test-40, (EAT-40), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), The Mind in the Eyes Test (RME), Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20), Child and Adolescent KA-Sİ Empathic Tendency Scale-Adolescent Form and Perceived Expressed Emotion Scale (PEE). Additionally, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Screen for Child Anxiety and Related Disorders (SCARED), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-28 (CTQ-28) and Short Form of Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) were used. Study group was found to have more difficulties in emotion regulation, higher alexithymia features, lower empathy skills and higher tendency of percieving their mothers as critical and hostile when compared to the control group. Furthermore, higher anxiety and depressive symptoms, higher childhood traumatic experiences and lower attachment security were detected in adolescents with AN. Alexithymia and depressive symptoms were found to be significant risk factors for difficulties in emotion regulation. The results of the study would be important for the prevention of AN and to develop treatment strategies in adolescents.