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Social anxiety in the eating disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 April 2018

Jess Kerr-Gaffney Open the ORCID record for Jess Kerr-Gaffney [Opens in a new window] ,
Amy Harrison  and
Kate Tchanturia
Jess Kerr-Gaffney*
Affiliation:
King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Psychological Medicine, London, UK
Amy Harrison
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Human Development, University College London, London, UK
Kate Tchanturia
Affiliation:
King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Psychological Medicine, London, UK South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, National Eating Disorders Service, Psychological Medicine Clinical Academic Group, London, UK Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
*
Author for correspondence: Jess Kerr-Gaffney, E-mail: jess.kerr-gaffney@kcl.ac.uk
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Abstract

Social anxiety disorder is one of the most common comorbid conditions in eating disorders (EDs). The aim of the current review and meta-analysis is to provide a qualitative summary of what is known about social anxiety (SA) in EDs, as well as to compare levels of SA in those with EDs and healthy controls. Electronic databases were systematically searched for studies using self-report measures of SA in ED populations. In total, 38 studies were identified, 12 of which were included in the meta-analyses. For both anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa, there were significant differences between ED groups and HCs, with medium to large effect sizes. Findings from the qualitative review indicate that levels of SA are similar across the ED diagnoses, and SA improves with treatment in AN. In addition, high levels of SA are associated with more severe ED psychopathology, but not body mass index. These findings add to the wider literature on socio-emotional functioning in EDs, and may have implications for treatment strategies.

Keywords

Anorexia nervosabulimia nervosaeating disorderssocial anxiety disorder
Type
Review Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 48 , Issue 15 , November 2018 , pp. 2477 - 2491
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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