The body I live in: body dissatisfaction and gender incongruence in a sample of subjects with eating disorders

The project aims to consolidate a line of research specifically aimed at studying the intersection between body dissatisfaction, the risk/presence of eating disorders and gender identity issues at the Gruber Residence. Numerous studies have documented a clear and steadily increasing co-occurrence between eating disorders and dysphoria or discomfort related to gender assigned at birth, highlighting body dissatisfaction as a potential source of subjective distress and a ‘trans-diagnostic’ factor in both conditions.

The project therefore aims to:

• Conduct a systematic literature review on intervention strategies for transgender and non-binary (TNB) people with EDs, with particular reference to the process and course of treatment at the individual level
• Investigate the subjective experience of the body and experiences of gender incongruence in ED patients
• Assess, in cases of co-occurrence between ED and gender incongruence, the relevance of experiences of stigma and minority stress, and their relation to potential psychopathological outcomes.

• Vittorio Lingiardi, Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst, Full Professor of Dynamic Psychology, Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome
• Laura Muzi, Psychologist, Researcher in Dynamic and Clinical Psychology at the Department of Philosophy, Social Sciences and Education, Università degli Studi di Perugia
• Marta Mirabella, Psychologist, Research Associate, Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome
• Bianca Di Giannantonio, PhD student, Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome
• Michele Rugo, Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst, Medical Director of the Gruber Residence, Bologna
• Anna Franco, Psychologist and Psychotherapist, Psychology Area Coordinator, Gruber Residence, Bologna
• Alessia Urgese, Psychologist, Clinical Coordinator, Gruber Residence, Bologna