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Body Image in Eating Disorders: The Influence of Exposure to Virtual-Reality Environments.
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The aim of this article was to study the effect of virtual-reality exposure to situations that are emotionally significant for patients with eating disorders (ED) on the stability of body-image distortion and body-image dissatisfaction. A total of 85 ED patients and 108 non-ED students were randomly exposed to four experimental virtual environments: a kitchen with low-calorie food, a kitchen with high-calorie food, a restaurant with low-calorie food, and a restaurant with high-calorie food. In the interval between the presentation of each situation, body-image distortion and body-image dissatisfaction were assessed. Several 2 x 2 x 2 repeated measures analyses of variance (high-calorie vs. low-calorie food x presence vs. absence of people x ED group vs. control group) showed that ED participants had significantly higher levels of body-image distortion and body dissatisfaction after eating high-calorie food than after eating low-calorie food, while control participants reported a similar body image in all situations. The results suggest that body-image distortion and body-image dissatisfaction show both trait and state features. On the one hand, ED patients show a general predisposition to overestimate their body size and to feel more dissatisfied with their body image than controls. On the other hand, these body-image disturbances fluctuate when participants are exposed to virtual situations that are emotionally relevant for them.
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GUTIÉRREZ MALDONADO, José, et al. Body Image in Eating Disorders: The Influence of Exposure to Virtual-Reality Environments. Cyberpsychology & Behavior. 2010. Vol. 13, num. 5, pags. 521-531. ISSN 1094-9313. [consulted: 6 of June of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/44466