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Cortisol, anxiety and cognitive responses to trier social stress test: The first multiple levels assessment of the rdoc “system for social process” in eating disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

V. Ruzzi ,
G. Cascino ,
M. Raia ,
V. Sollo  and
A.M. Monteleone
V. Ruzzi*
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychiatry, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
G. Cascino
Affiliation:
Department Of Medicine Surgery And Dentistry - Section Of Neuroscience, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
M. Raia
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychiatry, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
V. Sollo
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychiatry, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
A.M. Monteleone
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychiatry, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Social dysfunction is a putative risk and maintaining factor for Eating Disorders (EDs).

Objectives

We aimed to assess biological, emotional, and cognitive responses to a psychosocial stressor, in order to provide a multilevel investigation of the RDoC social process system in EDs.

Methods

Cortisol response to Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) was measured in 105 subjects: 35 women with anorexia nervosa (AN), 32 with bulimia nervosa (BN) and 38 healthy women. In a subgroup of them (23 AN, 21 BN, and 25 control women) anxiety, hunger, and desire to eat throughout the TSST were also rated.

Results

Compared to healthy women, AN and BN women showed reduced cortisol reactivity that disappeared after controlling for trait anxiety and ineffectiveness. They also displayed increased anxiety response, while only people with AN reported greater decrease in hunger and desire to eat. Baseline ineffectiveness predicted post-stress body dissatisfaction through the mediation of post-stress anxiety while no significant correlations were found between cortisol and anxiety, hunger, or desire to eat responses

Conclusions

People with EDs are characterized by blunted cortisol reactivity and greater anxiety, hunger, and desire to eat responses to a psychosocial stressor. We show a relationship between socio-emotional distress and ED-related attitudes without an association between biological and emotional or cognitive changes. This study provides the first empirical and multilevel support to a deranged functioning of the RDoC “system for social process” in EDs.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Keywords

psychosocial stressorcortisol reactivityemotional distresseating disorders
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 64 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 29th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2021 , pp. S114
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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