Self-harm and aggression in patients with anorexia nervosa

Abstract

Introduction

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex condition with high comorbidity.

Objectives

This study aims to verify whether patients with AN are more aggressive towards themselves than towards others; namely, we measure the levels of autoaggressive/aggressive ideation, negative emotions regarding self/others, as well as self-harm behavior.

Methods

10 female patients with AN (2 of them also had bulimia nervosa) and 20 female participants of the control group were presented with Structured Interview, Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration Test (P‐F), Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, I-structural Test of Ammon, Boyko Communication Aggression Inventory, Boyko Self-directed Emotion Accumulation Inventory (BSEAI). Mann-Whitney U-test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used.

Results

Table 1
Structured interview indicator	Control group	AN patients
Suicide attempts	10%	60%
Self-harm behavior	35%	60%
Piercing/tattoos	20%	50%
Depression (self-report)	40%	90%

There were no significant differences in aggression levels between groups. However, patients with AN showed less extrapunitive reactions: blaming others, requiring others to resolve the situation (P-F, р=0.013) and more intropunitive reactions: self-blame, feeling responsible/guilty for the situation (P-F, р=0.031). AN patients had more self-directed negative emotions and impulses (BSEAI, р=0.01), more self-harm behavior (see table 1). There were no correlations between autoaggression and aggression scales in the control group, but there were 9 correlations between them in the AN group (p<0.05, r>0.76).

Conclusions

Patients with AN are more inclined to self-blame, negative ideas about themselves, self-harm behavior, but have the same aggression level as the control group. The interconnection of aggression and autoaggression is different in patients with anorexia nervosa compared to the control group.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.