CHRONOTYPE AND EATING DISORDER PATIENTS’ PATTERNS: A CLINICAL STUDY

Background Eveningness is associated with psychological and psychosomatic disturbances, such as depression, seasonal affective disorder, ADHD and drug addiction. However, few studies examined relationships between eating disorders (ED) and chronotype. Aim Investigates the presence of specific chronotype in relation to specific ED diagnoses and other clinical ED indicators and tests if the circadian type may predict level of mental distress and different dimensions of metacognitive beliefs. Methods 203 patients (years 26,79 ± 10,07; female = 96,6%) with ED diagnoses according to DSM 5 (AN = 68; BN = 53; BED = 56; OSFED = 26) were assessed at intake using an interdisciplinary semistructured interview to collect BMI, the number of weekly episodes of binge, self-induced vomiting and fasting and the following self-report measures: short version of Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ-r) which is used to evaluated circadian type (high MEQ-r scores indicate morningness, or MT, and low scores indicate eveningness type or ET), Eating Attitude Test (EAT-40); General Health Questionnaire(GHQ), Metacognition Questionnaire (MCQ). Results 64% of the sample presents an intermediate type. Significant and positive associations have been found between age and MEQ-r scores (p\0.05). No differences in MEQ-r scores among ED diagnoses group, no significant correlation between MEQ-r and BMI and EAT-TOT were found. MEQ-r have been significantly associated with lower weekly binging (p\0.05) and vomiting (p\0.05) episodes, but not with fasting. Moreover, higher MEQ-r scores result significantly associated with improved GHQ scores (p\0.05) and MCQ cognitive confidence (p\0.05) and MCQ-negative belief about uncontrollability and danger scales (p\0.05). Conclusion MT results associated with better clinical conditions, such as better clinical ED psychopathological parameters, general psychiatric health status and psychological metacognition skills. ET and intermediate chronotype seem characterize worst ED clinical psychopathology and psychiatric distress. The circadian preference could be considered in the assessment phase as a useful clinical tool to target subgroups of ED patients which deserve specific therapeutic interventions focused in particular on modification life styles and psychiatric comorbidities treatment.