Perception of Time by Individuals With Eating Disorders

November 28, 2018 updated by: Malgorzata Starzomska

Stuck in Painful Time: Perception of Time by Individuals With Eating Disorders

The objective of the study was to determine how patients with eating disorders perceive time, and in particular whether their experience of time differs from that of healthy individuals. Another goal was to examine the relationship between the mood of the subjects and their time perspective. The subjects were 30 women with eating disorders and 30 age-matched healthy female controls. The three measures applied were: the Time Metaphors Questionnaire by Sobol-Kwapinska, the Time Perspective Inventory by Zimbardo, and the UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist (UMACL) by Matthews et al.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The objective of the study was to determine how individuals with eating disorders perceive time, and in particular whether their experience of time differs from that of healthy persons. Another aim was to investigate the relationship between the mood of the subjects and their time perception as well as determine a variable moderating that relationship.

First, it was expected that eating-disordered patients experience time as a rather aversive and unfriendly force marked with chaos and void, in contrast to healthy subjects, who were predicted to treat it as something more friendly, appreciating its subtleties and the significance of the moment (Hypothesis 1).

Moreover, it was expected that individuals with eating disorders would exhibit a more negative temporal orientation, whether past or present, as compared to healthy controls, who would reveal more positive past, present, or future orientations (Hypothesis 2).

Finally, it was predicted that eating disorders moderate the relationship between mood and time perception (Hypothesis 3).

The study encompassed 30 women with eating disorders (19 patients with anorexia nervosa and 11 patients with bulimia nervosa) and 30 age-matched normal healthy controls. The clinical group consisted of patients of the residential eating disorder therapeutic center "Drzewo zycia" in Malawa as well as some outpatient clinics in Poland; some of the patients were not being actively treated at the time of the study. The controls included psychology students from two Polish universities (the Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University and the University of Finance and Management, both in Warsaw), as well as researchers and educators who volunteered for the study.

The three measures applied in the study were:

  • The Time Metaphors Questionnaire by Sobol-Kwapinska;
  • Time Perspective Inventory by Zimbardo (Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999; see also Zimbardo & Boyd, 2009);
  • The UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist (UMACL) (Matthews at al.; see also Gorynska, 2005).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
60

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 40 years (ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

N/A

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The clinical and control groups did not differ significantly in terms of age (t = 1.64, p = 0.100) or height (t = -0.54, p = 0.590). Obviously, significant differences were found in terms of weight and BMI (t = -2.93 and t = -3.03, p < 0.01, respectively): women with eating disorders were much lighter (M = 50.78, SD = 13.05) and had a much lower BMI (M = 18.3, SD = 4.49) than healthy controls (M = 60.43, SD = 12.48, and M = 21.62, SD = 3.98, respectively). The mean duration of eating disorder was 8.9 years (SD = 5.23).

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Clinical diagnosis of eating disorders (anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa)
  • Age between 18 and 40 years

Exclusion Criteria:

  • diagnosis of other (except eating disorders) mental disorder
  • Age below 18 years and above 40 years

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
women with eating disorders

women with eating disorders (age: M = 26.88; SD = 5.82)

The three measures applied in this group were: the Time Metaphors Questionnaire by Sobol-Kwapinska (2007), the Time Perspective Inventory by Zimbardo (1999), and the UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist (UMACL) by Matthews et al. (1990).
Other: Questionnaires
The three questionnaires applied were: the Time Metaphors Questionnaire by Sobol-Kwapinska, the Time Perspective Inventory by Zimbardo, and the UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist (UMACL) by Matthews et al.
healthy female controls.

healthy female controls (age: M = 24.27; SD = 6.49)

The three measures applied in this group were: the Time Metaphors Questionnaire by Sobol-Kwapinska (2007), the Time Perspective Inventory by Zimbardo (1999), and the UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist (UMACL) by Matthews et al. (1990).
Other: Questionnaires
The three questionnaires applied were: the Time Metaphors Questionnaire by Sobol-Kwapinska, the Time Perspective Inventory by Zimbardo, and the UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist (UMACL) by Matthews et al.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
The Time Metaphors Questionnaire by Sobol-Kwapińska
Time Frame: 1.05.2014-30.06.2017
The measure consists of 95 items formulated as metaphors describing ideas eliciting strong emotions. The subjects are asked to rate the items on a scale from 1 to 4, depending on the degree to which a given metaphor is consistent with their perception of time. The items are grouped into 3 scales reflecting positive attitudes to time: Friendly Time (subdivided into two subscales: Constructive Time and Pleasant Time), Significance of the Moment, and Subtle Time, as well as four scales covering negative attitudes to time: Hostile Time (with three subscales: Finiteness of Time, Bitter Time, and Confusion in Time), Rapid Passage of Time, Wild Time, and Empty Time. The questionnaire reveals satisfactory reliability and validity.
1.05.2014-30.06.2017
Time Perspective Inventory by Zimbardo
Time Frame: 1.05.2014-30.06.2017
The measure consists of 56 items which the respondents rate on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 (very uncharacteristic of me) to 5 (very characteristic of me). The questionnaire tests 5 time perspectives: 1) Past-Negative, 2) Past-Positive, 3) Present-Hedonistic, 4) Present-Fatalistic, and 5) Future. The Polish version of this instrument has been reported to have both good reliability and validity.
1.05.2014-30.06.2017
Transcendental Future Time Perspective Inventory
Time Frame: 1.05.2014-30.06.2017
This is a one-dimensional scale that consists of 10 items which the respondents rate on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 (very uncharacteristic of me) to 5 (very characteristic of me). It is used to assess individual attitudes and beliefs regarding the future, immediately following the imagined death of the physical body.
1.05.2014-30.06.2017
The UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist (UMACL) by Matthews et al.
Time Frame: 1.05.2014-30.06.2017
The instrument measures mood understood as an affective experience of a duration of at least several minutes; its three scales are Tense Arousal, Energetic Arousal, and Hedonic Tone. The UMACL consists of a list of 29 adjectives which the respondents rate in terms of applicability to their current mood on a four-point scale from definitely yes to definitely not. The reliability and validity of the Polish adaptation has been confirmed.
1.05.2014-30.06.2017

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Malgorzata Starzomska

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Malgorzata Starzomska, dr, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

  • Gorynska E. UMACL Mood Adjective Checklist by G. Matthews, A.G. Chamberlain, D.M. Jones. Pracownia Testow Psychologicznych Polskiego Towarzystwa Psychologicznego, Warszawa, 2005.
  • Matthews G, Jones DM, Chamberlain AG. Refining the measurement of mood: the UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist. British Journal of Psychology 81(1): 17-42, 1990.
  • Sobol-Kwapinska M. TMQ Time Metaphor Questionnaire: Manual. Pracownia Testow Psychologicznych PTP, Warszawa, 2008.
  • Zimbardo P G, Boyd J. The time paradox. PWN, Warszawa, 2009.
  • Zimbardo P, Boyd J. Putting time in perspective: a valid, reliable individual differences metric. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 77(6): 1271-1288, 1999.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (ACTUAL)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 1, 2014

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2017

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 30, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 20, 2018

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 28, 2018

First Posted (ACTUAL)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 30, 2018

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 30, 2018

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 28, 2018

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • PBF-31/16

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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