The Experience of Affective Touch in Anorexia Nervosa

NCT05756530 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 21C127
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The aim of the present research will be to verify if the pleasantness of affective touch is comparable between women with AN and healthy women while measuring the level of social anhedonia and the lifespan experience of affective touch.

Conditions

Anorexia Nervosa

Keywords

affective touch; social anhedonia; lifespan bodily contacts; Interpersonal relationships

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Rating of subjective pleasantness

  Behavioural outcome associated with the experimental paradigm: participants will be asked to rate the pleasantness of the tactile stimuli after each stimulation with a score ranging from zero not pleasant at all) to 100 (extremely pleasant).

  Baseline

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Social Anhedonia Score

  Baseline

• Affective experience Score

  Baseline

Study Arms (2)

Cases

Right-handed women diagnosed with restricting type or binge-eating/purging type AN, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th Edition)'s criteria (DSM, American Psychiatric Association, 2013), will be consecutively recruited during their rehabilitative treatment at the Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, San Giuseppe Hospital (Italy). Concurrent neurological, neurodevelopmental (e.g., autism), motor, somatosensory and/or psychiatric disorders will be the exclusion criteria, as well as the evidence of any skin-related condition possibly affecting sensitivity on the participants' forearm (e.g., eczema, scars)

Other: Affective touch paradigm

Controls

Age-matched, right-handed, healthy women (i.e., with no history of eating disorders) will be recruited outside the hospital through personal contacts of the researchers and word-of-mouth.

Other: Affective touch paradigm

Interventions

Affective touch paradigm OTHER

Affective touch paradigm: experimental stimuli will include the touch of a soft cosmetic, a hand, which will be both expected to resemble affective pleasant stimulations, and a plastic stick with a rounded tip, as a control (non-affective) condition. Two speeds of stimulation will be adopted i) slow affective stimuli delivered at 3 cm/s and fast non-affective stimuli, delivered at non-optimal speed (18 cm/s). An imagery version of the task will be also administered: blindfolded participants will be asked to image the touches on their left forearm. After each (actual or imagined) tactile stimulus, individuals will rate the experience level of pleasantness. As part of the protocol, they will fill out two psychological questionnaires, assessing the level of social anhedonia and the amount and characteristics of the lifespan experiences of affective touch in close relationships.

Cases; Controls

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 50 Years
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Participants with AN were consecutively recruited during their rehabilitative treatment at the Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, San Giuseppe Hospital (Italy). \-

You may qualify if:

• Right-handed
• diagnosis of restricting type or binge-eating/purging type AN, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th Edition)'s criteria (DSM, American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

You may not qualify if:

• Concurrent neurological, neurodevelopmental (e.g., autism), motor, somatosensory and/or psychiatric disorders
• Evidence of any skin-related condition possibly affecting sensitivity on the participants' forearm (e.g., eczema, scars).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Istituto Auxologico Italiano: lead

Study Sites (1)

IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano - Ospedale San Giuseppe

Piancavallo, VCO, 28824, Italy

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Anorexia Nervosa; Anhedonia

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Feeding and Eating Disorders; Mental Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Federica Scarpina, PhD

  IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE CONTROL
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 22, 2023
• First Posted: March 6, 2023
• Study Start: October 6, 2021
• Primary Completion: October 1, 2023
• Study Completion: October 1, 2023
• Last Updated: August 26, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-08

Locations

IT (1)