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Background: Body image disturbances are central to the psychopathology of eating disorders (ED). There is growing recognition that body image is not stable and can be influenced by a variety of factors, however it remains unclear whether perceptual deficits exist in ED individuals. Recent research suggests that experiences of dissociation may undermine the stability of body image and create a vulnerability to body image disturbances. Dissociation is commonly observed in ED and has been linked to body image disturbance. The present study aimed to investigate the relationships between experiences of dissociation, body image disturbance and perceptual body image instability in a group of ED individuals, dieters (DT), and non-dieting healthy controls (HC). Method: 20 individuals diagnosed with an ED, 20 DT, and 20 HC completed experimental and self-report measures of dissociation, body disturbance, body checking and body image instability. Perceptual body image instability was measured using the Rubber Hand Illusion (Botvnik & Cohen, 1998). Results: Findings suggest ED individuals experience higher levels of dissociation, body image disturbance and body checking than HC and DT groups. Contrary to hypotheses, body image instability did not significantly differ between groups. Positive relationships were found between psychological dissociation and body checking cognitions in ED (r(20)=0.52, p |
