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This thesis reports five studies investigating cognitive processes in eating disorder (ED) psychopathology. Chapter 1 describes background information about EDs. Chapter 2 reviews cognitive theories of Anorexia Nervosa (AN), and discusses how integration of a process-focused framework, originally applied to depression, may advance under-standing of maintaining mechanisms in AN. Chapter 3 reports a focus group with AN patients that explores features of the subjective experience of the disorder. Findings highlight ruminative, avoidant and discrepancy-based thinking: features that are suggested to be indicative of a ‘conceptualising’ mode of processing. Patients’ reports suggest positive effects of a body-mindfulness group, which encourages an alternative, ‘experiential’ mode of processing. Chapter 4 presents data on rumination, experiential avoidance, negative self-beliefs and underlying assumptions in an analogue population and shows elevated levels for ED-concerned individuals on all of these measures. Chapter 5 examines mode of processing effects (conceptual vs. experiential) in an analogue population. Findings show differential stress-induced emotional reactivity, particularly in the ED-concerned group. Chapter 6 investigates mode of processing effects in a sample of AN patients. Results confirm that modes of processing have differential effects on stress-induced emotional reactivity. Chapter 7 presents data from a 10-month follow-up of AN patients. This study shows that changes in ED-symptoms are associated with changes in rumination, avoidance and aspects of schematic thinking. Differential stress-induced reactivity is associated with outcome. Finally, chapter 8 discusses theoretical and clinical implications of this research and the mode of processing framework in EDs, particularly AN, as well describing how future investigations may continue integrating this framework to the study of ED psycho-pathology. The current findings suggest that both cognitive-affective content and the underlying mental processing activity need consideration in cognitive models of EDs.

Orientador: Evely Boruchovitch / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-13T13:47:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cruvinel_Miriam_D.pdf: 1469875 bytes, checksum: c57c1ddd0f4b58b1b9bec0128d2c04c8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: Sintomas depressivos estão associados a sérios comprometimentos no desenvolvimento cognitivo, escolar, emocional, familiar e social. O objetivo do presente estudo foi investigar variáveis cognitivas e psicossociais de crianças com e sem sintomas de depressão. A amostra foi composta por 157 alunos de 3ª e 4ª séries do ensino fundamental, de uma escola pública de Campinas. A partir dessa amostra maior foram selecionadas 54 crianças, tendo em vista seus resultados no Inventário de Depressão Infantil, sendo 27 com sintomas depressivos (G1) e 27 sem sintomatologia (G2). As crianças dos dois grupos eram comparáveis quanto ao sexo, a idade (8 a 11 anos) e a série escolar (3ª e 4ª). Após a identificação dos participantes com e sem sintomas, os grupos foram comparados no que concerne às estratégias de aprendizagem, crenças de auto-eficácia, autoconceito e autoregulação emocional. Os resultados revelaram que as crianças com sintomas apresentam autoconceito negativo e baixa auto-eficácia. Tanto o G1 como o G2 reportou o uso de estratégias de aprendizagem cognitivas e metacognitivas, no entanto, os participantes do G1, mencionaram, em algumas situações, menor uso de estratégias metacognitivas e parecem ter mais dificuldades de manter a atenção e de se automotivarem. Em linhas gerais, os dois grupos relataram usar estratégias semelhantes para lidar com as diferentes emoções. No entanto, foi interessante notar que o fato dos alunos do G1 sentirem mais freqüentemente tristeza e raiva, não garantiu que esses participantes apresentassem maior sucesso na percepção de emoções, já que foi G1 o que teve mais dificuldade na percepção da tristeza, do medo e da alegria. É recomendável que novos estudos a respeito da conscientização e percepção das emoções e o uso de estratégias de regulação afetiva de crianças com sintomatologia depressiva sejam realizados.Destaca-se também a necessidade da promoção do desenvolvimento metacognitivo e da aprendizagem auto-regulada, desde as séries iniciais. Sugere-se ainda que futuras pesquisas dessa natureza sejam conduzidas com a finalidade de se enriquecer os dados obtidos na presente tese. / Abstract: Depressive symptoms are associated to severe damages on the cognitive, emotional, study, family and social development. The present study aims at the investigation of the cognitive and psychosocial variables in children with and without depressive symptoms. The sample was composed by 157 third and fourth grade students of elementary school, from a public school in the city of Campinas. Fifty-five children from this larger sample have been selected considering their scores on the Children's Depression Inventory. Twenty-seven of them displayed depressive symptoms (G1) and the other 27 did not present symptoms (G2). The children of both groups were comparable in gender, age (8-11 years-old) and school grade (third and fourth grades). Subsequently to the selection of the participants with and without symptoms, the groups were compared in relation to their learning strategies, their beliefs of self-efficacy, self-concept and emotional self-regulation. Results demonstrate that children with depressive symptoms display negative self-esteem and low self-efficacy. Both G1 and G2 adopted cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies, however, G1 have displayed, in some situations, less usage of metacognitive strategies and seemed to face more difficulties to maintain concentration and be self-motivated. Even though both groups generally employ the same strategies to deal with different emotions, it was remarkable to notice that the fact that the students from G1 experience the feelings of sadness and anger more frequently than G2 did not guarantee their success in perceiving feelings, once G1 faced more difficulties in the perception of sadness, fear and happiness. It is recommended that future research on the perception and awareness of emotions as well as on the use of affective regulation strategies by children with depressive symptoms be carried out. The importance of promoting the metacognitive development and the selfregulated learning since the earlier grades in school is also highlighted. It is suggested that future research of this nature be made with the purpose of enriching the information obtained in the present work. / Doutorado / Psicologia, Desenvolvimento Humano e Educação / Doutor em Educação