{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,18]],"date-time":"2026-04-18T13:38:36Z","timestamp":1776519516544,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":10,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,15]],"date-time":"2026-04-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776211200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,18]],"date-time":"2026-04-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776470400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":3,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003500","name":"Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Padova","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003500","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Eat Weight Disord"],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Purpose<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Eating disorders are frequently associated with fragmented self-experiences, including harsh self-criticism, shame, and withdrawal, which may be difficult to articulate using standard clinical interviews. Structured elicitation tools may support the exploration of these internal self-states in a clinically meaningful way.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A total of 14 women receiving treatment for eating disorders at a specialised Italian centre participated in a structured elicitation interview using nine visual\u2013symbolic self-part cards developed for clinical use. For each card, participants provided a numeric endorsement rating (0\u201310) and open-ended explanations following fixed prompts. Data were analysed using an inductive thematic approach with cross-case comparison.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Higher endorsement was observed for cards reflecting self-rejection, internal criticism, and concealment. Across participants\u2019 accounts, four cross-cutting themes emerged: (1) persecutory self-criticism linked to internalised relational judgement; (2) shame-based body rejection as a core self-reference; (3) protective withdrawal associated with emotional invisibility and (4) developmental discontinuity characterised by forced maturity and unmet childhood needs.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This brief report suggests that structured elicitation using visual\u2013symbolic prompts can facilitate the exploration of clinically relevant self-states in people with eating disorders. Findings are preliminary but highlight the potential value of this approach for assessment and psychotherapy formulation.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Level of evidence<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Level V, qualitative descriptive study based on clinical interviews.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1007\/s40519-026-01857-1","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,15]],"date-time":"2026-04-15T14:45:43Z","timestamp":1776264343000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Understanding inner self-states in eating disorders: preliminary findings from a structured elicitation study"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"31","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3323-6071","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paolo","family":"Meneguzzo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Natalia","family":"Seijo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Anna","family":"Pillan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Enrica","family":"Bucci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alice","family":"Garolla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Anna","family":"Marzotto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Francesca","family":"Buscaglia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Patrizia","family":"Todisco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"1857_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"40","DOI":"10.1016\/j.comppsych.2017.06.009","volume":"79","author":"KT Forbush","year":"2017","unstructured":"Forbush KT, Hagan KE, Kite BA et al (2017) Understanding eating disorders within internalizing psychopathology: a novel transdiagnostic, hierarchical-dimensional model. Compr Psychiatry 79:40\u201352. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.comppsych.2017.06.009","journal-title":"Compr Psychiatry"},{"key":"1857_CR2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/erv.3113","author":"P Meneguzzo","year":"2024","unstructured":"Meneguzzo P, Bonello E, Tenconi E, Todisco P (2024) Enhancing emotional abilities in anorexia nervosa treatment: a rolling-group cognitive remediation and emotional skills training protocol. Eur Eat Disord Rev. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/erv.3113","journal-title":"Eur Eat Disord Rev"},{"key":"1857_CR3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"718","DOI":"10.1002\/cpp.2665","volume":"29","author":"P Meneguzzo","year":"2022","unstructured":"Meneguzzo P, Garolla A, Bonello E, Todisco P (2022) Alexithymia, dissociation and emotional regulation in eating disorders: evidence of improvement through specialized inpatient treatment. Clin Psychol Psychother 29:718\u2013724. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/cpp.2665","journal-title":"Clin Psychol Psychother"},{"key":"1857_CR4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s40519-025-01765-w","author":"L Tarchi","year":"2026","unstructured":"Tarchi L, Faldi M, Cassioli E et al (2026) The diverging role of embodiment in altered eating behaviors: a comparison between patients with anorexia nervosa and gender dysphoria. Eat Weight Disord. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s40519-025-01765-w","journal-title":"Eat Weight Disord"},{"key":"1857_CR5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"7","DOI":"10.12740\/APP\/139463","volume":"23","author":"S Karbouniaris","year":"2021","unstructured":"Karbouniaris S (2021) Fragmented selves: a first person account on trauma and dissociation. 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The research protocol obtained specific approval from the Vicenza Ethics Committee (47\/21).","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval and consent to participate"}},{"value":"The authors declare no competing interests.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}}],"article-number":"36"}}