scholarly journals Characterizing Body Image Distortion and Bodily Self-Plasticity in Anorexia Nervosa via Visuo-Tactile Stimulation in Virtual Reality

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Provenzano ◽  
Giuseppina Porciello ◽  
Sofia Ciccarone ◽  
Bigna Lenggenhager ◽  
Gaetano Tieri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Body Dissatisfaction ◽  
Image Distortion ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Body Image Distortion ◽  
Person Perspective ◽  
Original Weight

We combined virtual reality and multisensory bodily illusion with the aim to characterize and reduce the perceptual (body overestimation) and the cognitive-emotional (body dissatisfaction) components of body image distortion (BID) in anorexia nervosa (AN). For each participant (20 anorexics, 20 healthy controls) we built personalized avatars that reproduced their own body size, shape, and verisimilar increases and losses of their original weight. Body overestimation and dissatisfaction were measured by asking participants to choose the avatar that best resembled their real and ideal body. Results show higher body dissatisfaction in AN, caused by the desire of a thinner body, and no body-size overestimation. Interpersonal multisensory stimulation (IMS) was then applied on the avatar reproducing participant’s perceived body, and on the two avatars which reproduced increases and losses of 15% of it, all presented with a first-person perspective (1PP). Embodiment was stronger after synchronous IMS in both groups, but did not reduce BID in participants with AN. Interestingly, anorexics reported more negative emotions after embodying the fattest avatar, which scaled with symptoms severity. Overall, our findings suggest that the cognitive-emotional, more than the perceptual component of BID is severely altered in AN and that perspective (1PP vs. 3PP) from which a body is evaluated may play a crucial role. Future research and clinical trials might take advantage of virtual reality to reduce the emotional distress related to body dissatisfaction.

scholarly journals Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Virtual Reality in Mental Healthcare: Effects of Full Body Illusions on Body Image Disturbance

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Collin Turbyne ◽  
Abe Goedhart ◽  
Pelle de Koning ◽  
Frederike Schirmbeck ◽  
Damiaan Denys
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Clinical Utility ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Full Body ◽  
Virtual Body ◽  
Clinical Populations

Background: Body image (BI) disturbances have been identified in both clinical and non-clinical populations. Virtual reality (VR) has recently been used as a tool for modulating BI disturbances through the use of eliciting a full body illusion (FBI). This meta-analysis is the first to collate evidence on the effectiveness of an FBI to reduce BI disturbances in both clinical and non-clinical populations.Methods: We performed a literature search in MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, PsychINFO, and Web of Science with the keywords and synonyms for “virtual reality” and “body image” to identify published studies until September 2020. We included studies that (1) created an FBI with a modified body shape or size and (2) reported BI disturbance outcomes both before and directly after the FBI. FBI was defined as a head-mounted display (HMD)-based simulation of embodying a virtual body from an egocentric perspective in an immersive 3D computer-generated environment.Results: Of the 398 identified unique studies, 13 were included after reading full-texts. Four of these studies were eligible for a meta-analysis on BI distortion inducing a small virtual body FBI in healthy females. Significant post-intervention results were found for estimations of shoulder width, hip width, and abdomen width, with the largest reductions in size being the estimation of shoulder circumference (SMD = −1.3; 95% CI: −2.2 to −0.4; p = 0.004) and hip circumference (SMD = −1.0; 95% CI: −1.6 to −0.4; p = 0.004). Mixed results were found in non-aggregated studies from large virtual body FBIs in terms of both estimated body size and BI dissatisfaction and in small virtual body FBI in terms of BI dissatisfaction.Conclusions: The findings presented in this paper suggest that the participants' BIs were able to conform to both an increased as well as a reduced virtual body size. However, because of the paucity of research in this field, the extent of the clinical utility of FBIs still remains unclear. In light of these limitations, we provide implications for future research about the clinical utility of FBIs for modulating BI-related outcomes.

Body-image distortion in anorexia nervosa

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonios Dakanalis ◽  
Santino Gaudio ◽  
Silvia Serino ◽  
Massimo Clerici ◽  
Giuseppe Carrà ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Image Distortion ◽  
Body Image Distortion

Disturbances in Body Image Estimation as Related to Other Characteristics and Outcome in Anorexia Nervosa

1979 ◽  
Vol 134 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regina C. Casper ◽  
Katherine A. Halmi ◽  
Solomon C. Goldberg ◽  
Elke D. Eckert ◽  
John M. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Image Distortion ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Size Estimation ◽  
Body Image Distortion ◽  
Image Estimation ◽  
Visual Size ◽  
Female Control

SummaryBody image distortion in 79 female anorexia nervosa patients were examined on a visual-size estimation apparatus during the emaciated stage of illness. Both they and an age-matched female control group overestimated their body widths, so this overestimation cannot be considered unique to anorexia nervosa. Among anorexia patients the degree of overestimation was associated with less weight gain during treatment, greater denial of illness, and several other pretreatment characteristics indicative of poor outcome.

Adolescent Body Image Distortion: A Consideration of Immigrant Generational Status, Immigrant Concentration, Sex and Body Dissatisfaction

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (11) ◽  
pp. 2154-2171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Kimber ◽  
Katholiki Georgiades ◽  
Jennifer Couturier ◽  
Susan M. Jack ◽  
Olive Wahoush
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Body Dissatisfaction ◽  
Image Distortion ◽  
Generational Status ◽  
Body Image Distortion ◽  
Immigrant Concentration
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