Resumen de Anorexia Nervosa: Divergent Validity of a Prototype Narrative

Paulo Pinto Pereira Machado, Óscar F Gonçalves, Isabel Brandao, Margarida Henriques, António Roma-Torres, Bárbara C. Machado

• The objective of this paper was to test the divergent validity (degree of discrimination) of an anorectic prototype narrative (i.e., communality of themes in the individuals' core auto-biographical memories), as well as explore different characteristics of the participants which may be associated with the degree of prototype discrimination. Seventy participants diagnosed with anorexia nervosa participated in the study and were asked to indicate their degree of identification with four different narrative prototypes (depressive, agoraphobia, anorexic, alcoholic and drug addiction prototypes). Results did not confirm the divergent validity of the anorexic prototype narrative. Participants tended to identify primarily with the depressive prototype narrative. No significant differences were found between levels of identification with the anorexic prototype and depression, or agoraphobia and alcoholism prototype. The only significant difference found was between the anorexic and drug addiction prototype. However, severity and duration of the clinical condition were found to be associated with the degree of identification of prototype narrative. Results are discussed in terms of a transdiagnostic versus a prototype approach to the eating disorders psychopathology.