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IPS was assessed with a computer-based stop-distance task with different social conditions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Patients with AN had higher general (i.e., anxiety and depression), and body-image-related (e.g., body checking, body dissatisfaction) symptoms than HCs; moreover, they reported lower quantity of affective touch both in childhood and adulthood and less comfort with affective touch, with a medium to large effect size; more frequent negative affective-touch experiences were also observed in patients than in HCs, with a medium effect size. In patients, lower experienced affective touch, both in childhood and adulthood, and reduced touch-related comfort were associated with larger IPS, independent of anxiety and depression, and with a high effect size after statistical adjustment. No associations with IPS emerged in HCs.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The results highlighted a link between negative and reduced affective touch and social difficulties and avoidance in AN. The study remarks the relevance of affective-touch experiences and their relation with implicit body-related mechanisms, suggesting addressing early tactile experiences and interpersonal functioning in clinical interventions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Level of evidence<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Level III, case\u2013control study based on self-report questionnaires and a behavioral task.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1007\/s40519-026-01886-w","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]],"date-time":"2026-06-23T09:54:10Z","timestamp":1782208450000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Affective-touch experiences and interpersonal space in anorexia nervosa"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"31","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1524-1272","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Federica","family":"Toppino","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Benedetta","family":"Salis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eugenio","family":"Scaliti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1992-5460","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesco","family":"Bevione","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9385-0332","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Matteo","family":"Panero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Annalisa","family":"Brustolin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5826-5664","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giovanni","family":"Abbate-Daga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1347-7054","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paola","family":"Longo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"1886_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/archpsyc.1961.01710120031004","author":"AT Beck","year":"1961","unstructured":"Beck AT (1961) An inventory for measuring depression. 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