6533b7d2fe1ef96bd125e36f

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Abnormalities in cognitive-emotional information processing in idiopathic environmental intolerance and somatoform disorders

Josef BailerMichael WitthöftFred Rist

subject

AdultMalemedicine.medical_specialtyPersonality InventoryExperimental and Cognitive PsychologyNeuropsychological TestsSeverity of Illness IndexYoung AdultArts and Humanities (miscellaneous)Severity of illnessReaction TimemedicineHumansAttentionProspective StudiesSomatoform DisordersPsychiatryPsychiatric Status Rating ScalesAnalysis of VarianceMood DisordersCognitive disorderCognitionMiddle Agedmedicine.diseaseIdiopathic environmental intolerancePsychiatry and Mental healthClinical PsychologyMood disordersFemaleMultiple Chemical SensitivityPersonality Assessment InventoryCognition DisordersPsychologyMultiple chemical sensitivityFollow-Up StudiesStroop effect

description

Idiopathic environmental intolerance (IEI) represents a functional somatic syndrome marked by diverse bodily complaints attributed to various substances in the environment. Evidence for abnormalities in affective information processing similar to somatoform disorders (SFD) has recently been found in people with IEI. In order to further investigate these cognitive-emotional abnormalities, we compared people with IEI (n=49), SFD only (n=43), and non-somatoform controls (n=54) with respect to their performance in the extrinsic affective Simon task (EAST). This task allowed us to dissociate indicators of automatic affective associations and emotional intrusion effects of both bodily complaints and IEI-trigger words. Negative association effects toward IEI-trigger words were strongest for IEI participants. Emotional intrusion effects of symptom words were larger both in IEI and SFD than in controls. The results of enhanced negative automatic evaluations of IEI-trigger words and greater attention allocation to symptom words support cognitive models of IEI.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2007-09-22Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2008.04.002