Biomedical subjects

M C Olivotto

Publications and source records attributed to M C Olivotto.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1999

A preventive intervention program in adolescent schoolgirls: a longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: To explore the impact of a prevention program on the eating and body attitudes of a sample of adolescent schoolgirls. METHODS: The program involved lessons and group discussions of general adolescent problems and eating disorders. A total of 254 16-year-old schoolgirls were evaluated, of whom 154 participated in the program and a further 154 subjects formed the control group. Variations in weight, Eating Attitudes Test and Eating Disorders Inventory at a 1-year follow-up were compared for the two groups. RESULTS: Among high-risk subjects, no significant differences were found between the prevention and the control group. The preventive program appeared to reduce significantly body dissatisfaction and to decrease the risk of bulimic attitudes in low-risk subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Providing schoolgirls with the correct information about eating disorders did not encourage unhealthy attitudes to eating and weight regulation practices. However, for high-risk subjects more intensive and specific intervention may be required, for which further research is needed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Dissociative experiences and eating disorders in a female college sample.

The present study evaluates the relationship between abuse experiences, dissociation and eating disorders (ED) in an Italian female college sample. In particular, the study aims at comparing the dissociative effects of abuse experiences in ED and normal subjects. Dissociative experiences were assessed by Dissociation Questionnaire (DIS-Q), which appeared to be an internally consistent and valid instrument. The presence of ED in 491 female college students was assessed by a two-stage epidemiological procedure. The factor structure of the DIS-Q in our sample allowed us to identify specific features that could differentiate ED subjects from normals. Experiences of losing control appeared to characterize ED subjects and they were more serious in ED individuals who reported sexual or physical abuse. Normal subjects who reported a serious trauma had more frequently amnesia, identity alterations, derealization and depersonalization experiences when compared to nonabused subjects.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Subclassifications in eating disorders and obesity: a comparative study of an Italian sample.

The purpose of this study is to examine differences between eating disorder subgroups, including obese patients, in a large Italian sample seen at a specialist clinic. All patients (n=263) who consecutively contacted the University Eating Disorder Outpatient Clinic of Padua were divided into subgroups according to the literature. Different subgroups were compared according to clinical features, SCL-90, EAT and TFEQ scores. The study confirms the importance of purging, which is associated with more severe psychiatric symptoms than bingeing; a direct correlation between severity of psychiatric symptoms and duration of eating disorder was found. Among obese patients the bingers are distinguished from the nonbingers by a higher degree of eating and psychological distress and a greater number of dieting attempts.

Adult↗