Speaker
Description
Perceptual inaccuracies, such as body size distortions, are key aspects of eating disorders (EDs) and are linked to illness severity. However, it is unclear if this association is related to anhedonia to gentle touch or if perceptual inaccuracies are the prime contributor to EDs risks. Here, we explored whether lower preference for C-Tactile (CT)-mediated gentle touch is a moderator of the relationship between body dissatisfaction (BD, ideal minus current body size estimates) and EDs risks. Sixty healthy females completed a range of psychophysical somatosensory tests which consisted in ratings of pleasantness of CT-optimal (3 cm/s) and CT-suboptimal (0.3 and 30 cm/s) touch applied to varying body sites, for directly experienced touch (Experiment 1) and for vicarious interpersonal touch (Experiment 2). All participants took part in a computerized body perception assessment, i.e., ‘Somatomap 3D' of perceived, actual, and ideal aspects of body-part sizes. Self-reports of EDs risk, body dysmorphic concerns and of bodily awareness were also collected. For Experiment 1, a principal component analysis (PCA) on Somatomap 3D BD measures showed that PC1 explained 20.85% of the total variance. A moderation analysis revealed a significant interaction between PC1 and gentle touch preference. As preference for gentle touch decreased, Somatomap 3D BD increasingly predicted EDs risks. A similar analysis for Experiment 2 did not reveal such effects. Overall, our findings suggest the need for a personalized approach for the assessment of individuals' EDs risks in relation to both C-tactile-mediated, gentle touch and perceptual inaccuracies of body-parts components.
