Abstract
Social anxiety is a common comorbid problem in the eating disorders. The present study investigated whether specific types of core beliefs are common in eating-disordered individuals presenting with high levels of social anxiety. The participants were a group of 191 women meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV (DSM-IV) criteria for an eating disorder. Young’s Schema Questionnaire (YSQ-S) was used as a measure of core beliefs, while a brief version of the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale (Brief FNE) was used as a measure of social anxiety. The results showed that eating-disordered individuals with high levels of comorbid social anxiety report higher levels of socially-oriented core beliefs (abandonment; defectiveness/shame) than those who experience low levels of social anxiety. The findings highlight the potential importance of addressing core beliefs in specific groups of eating-disordered individuals. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.
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Hinrichsen, H., Waller, G. & Dhokia, R. Core beliefs and social anxiety in the eating disorders. Eat Weight Disord 12, e14–e18 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03327776
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03327776