Temperament impact on eating disorder symptoms and habit formation: a novel model to inform treatment

Abstract Background Temperament has long been described as the biological dimension of personality. Due to advancing brain-imaging technology, our understanding of temperament has deepened and transformed over the last 25 years. Temperament combines genetic, neurobiological and trait research. Tempe...

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Main Author: Laura Hill
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2024-03-01
Series:Journal of Eating Disorders
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-024-00998-x
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author Laura Hill
author_facet Laura Hill
author_sort Laura Hill
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Temperament has long been described as the biological dimension of personality. Due to advancing brain-imaging technology, our understanding of temperament has deepened and transformed over the last 25 years. Temperament combines genetic, neurobiological and trait research. Temperament has been included peripherally in some eating disorder (ED) treatment approaches but has been ignored by most. Temperament fills a fundamental treatment gap by clarifying who is more vulnerable to develop ED and why some individuals are susceptible to specific ED symptoms while others are not. In addition, temperament targets possible treatment solutions. Main text There is a need for a novel model that incorporates and explores the role of temperament in ED treatment intervention. This paper is a metaphoric temperament model to inform treatment intervention. It describes how temperament traits influences new decisions which impact new behavioural responses. In turn, it neurobiologically tracks how and why the brain efficiently transforms new decisions into new habits. This model integrates both temperament and habit research to explore (a) what temperament is; (b) how new decisions develop into habits neurobiologically; (c) that the brain wires destructive symptoms into habits in the same way that it wires healthy/productive behaviours into habits; (d) traits that trigger ED symptoms are the same traits that influence productive behaviours; and in regard to treatment implications (e) when treatment structure and intervention target client temperaments, the potential for new healthy “trait-syntonic” habits could develop. Conclusions This paper introduces a metaphoric model that synthesizes and integrates temperament neurobiological and trait findings with ED symptoms, habits, and client trait-based solutions. The model synthesizes and integrates different research domains to establish a brain-based foundation to inform treatment intervention. The model targets clients’ temperament traits as central collections of innate self-expressions that could be utilized as tools to redirect client trait-syntonic ED responses into trait-syntonic productive outcomes. The brain bases of temperament and habit formation serve as a biological foundation for ED treatment intervention.
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spelling doaj.art-af558b42fc3748ec92fb0249cc52c4cd2024-03-24T12:08:05ZengBMCJournal of Eating Disorders2050-29742024-03-0112111410.1186/s40337-024-00998-xTemperament impact on eating disorder symptoms and habit formation: a novel model to inform treatmentLaura Hill0Department of Psychiatry, University of CaliforniaAbstract Background Temperament has long been described as the biological dimension of personality. Due to advancing brain-imaging technology, our understanding of temperament has deepened and transformed over the last 25 years. Temperament combines genetic, neurobiological and trait research. Temperament has been included peripherally in some eating disorder (ED) treatment approaches but has been ignored by most. Temperament fills a fundamental treatment gap by clarifying who is more vulnerable to develop ED and why some individuals are susceptible to specific ED symptoms while others are not. In addition, temperament targets possible treatment solutions. Main text There is a need for a novel model that incorporates and explores the role of temperament in ED treatment intervention. This paper is a metaphoric temperament model to inform treatment intervention. It describes how temperament traits influences new decisions which impact new behavioural responses. In turn, it neurobiologically tracks how and why the brain efficiently transforms new decisions into new habits. This model integrates both temperament and habit research to explore (a) what temperament is; (b) how new decisions develop into habits neurobiologically; (c) that the brain wires destructive symptoms into habits in the same way that it wires healthy/productive behaviours into habits; (d) traits that trigger ED symptoms are the same traits that influence productive behaviours; and in regard to treatment implications (e) when treatment structure and intervention target client temperaments, the potential for new healthy “trait-syntonic” habits could develop. Conclusions This paper introduces a metaphoric model that synthesizes and integrates temperament neurobiological and trait findings with ED symptoms, habits, and client trait-based solutions. The model synthesizes and integrates different research domains to establish a brain-based foundation to inform treatment intervention. The model targets clients’ temperament traits as central collections of innate self-expressions that could be utilized as tools to redirect client trait-syntonic ED responses into trait-syntonic productive outcomes. The brain bases of temperament and habit formation serve as a biological foundation for ED treatment intervention.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-024-00998-xEating disordersTemperamentSymptomsHabitsTraitsModel
spellingShingle Laura Hill
Temperament impact on eating disorder symptoms and habit formation: a novel model to inform treatment
Journal of Eating Disorders
Eating disorders
Temperament
Symptoms
Habits
Traits
Model
title Temperament impact on eating disorder symptoms and habit formation: a novel model to inform treatment
title_full Temperament impact on eating disorder symptoms and habit formation: a novel model to inform treatment
title_fullStr Temperament impact on eating disorder symptoms and habit formation: a novel model to inform treatment
title_full_unstemmed Temperament impact on eating disorder symptoms and habit formation: a novel model to inform treatment
title_short Temperament impact on eating disorder symptoms and habit formation: a novel model to inform treatment
title_sort temperament impact on eating disorder symptoms and habit formation a novel model to inform treatment
topic Eating disorders
Temperament
Symptoms
Habits
Traits
Model
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-024-00998-x
work_keys_str_mv AT laurahill temperamentimpactoneatingdisordersymptomsandhabitformationanovelmodeltoinformtreatment