Although body size estimation (BSE) tasks are frequently used to investigate distorted body representation in anorexia nervosa (AN), the link between anxiety and task performance has been overlooked. To investigate this, 30 female healthy controls (HCs) and 29 female AN patients completed two body attitude questionnaires and three BSE tasks (the Visual Estimation Task, the Tactile Estimation Task and the Hoop Task). Participants completed two body attitude questionnaires and three BSE tasks; the Visual Estimation Task, the Tactile Estimation Task, and the Hoop Task. The STAI-6 was administered before and after each body-related task to assess state anxiety. Results showed that state anxiety levels increased significantly more in AN patients than in HC after completing each task. Thus, performance of AN patients on BSE and other body-related tasks might not just indicate the (mis)perception of their body but also co-occur with increased state anxiety. This has implications for the interpretation of these tasks and for furthering our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie distorted body image in AN.

尽管人体大小估计（BSE）任务经常用于调查神经性厌食症（AN）中扭曲的身体表征，但焦虑与任务执行之间的联系却被忽略了。为了对此进行调查，30位女性健康对照（HCs）和29位女性AN患者完成了两份身体态度调查表和三项BSE任务（视觉估计任务，触觉估计任务和篮下任务）。参与者完成了两个身体态度问卷和三个BSE任务；视觉估算任务，触觉估算任务和篮筐任务。在每次与身体相关的任务之前和之后都施用了STAI-6，以评估状态焦虑。结果表明，完成每项任务后，AN患者的状态焦虑水平明显高于HC。因此，AN患者在BSE和其他与身体相关的任务上的表现可能不仅表明他们对身体的（错误）感知，而且还伴随着状态焦虑的增加。这对这些任务的解释以及对我们进一步了解构成AN中扭曲的身体图像的机制的含义都具有意义。