Losing weight, gaining confidence? actual weight does not predict body (dis)satisfaction and self-esteem in adolescents with anorexia nervosa

The results show a disconnection between body weight and body (dis)satisfaction/self-esteem in adolescents with AN and highlight the association between negative cognitive biases for body-related information and body (dis)satisfaction/self-esteem. The negatively biased processing of information related to one's body could confirm the perception of the body as flawed and not thin enough and hinder adolescents with AN to perceive their bodies' thinness, even in the state of severe underweight. The results underline the need to target negatively biased cognitions about the body in AN treatment.