Rhonda-Jane Milligan’s research while affiliated with Glasgow Caledonian University and other places

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Publications (6)


Suicidal and other self-harming behaviour in offender women: The role of shame, anger and childhood abuse
  • Article

February 2005

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163 Reads

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68 Citations

Legal and Criminological Psychology

Rhonda-Jane Milligan

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Bernice Andrews

Purpose. The main aim of the study was to consider the contributions of childhood physical and sexual abuse (CPA and CSA) and different aspects of shame and anger to self‐harming behaviours in 89 women prisoners. A further aim was to examine the mediating roles of shame and anger in any link between childhood abuse and self‐harm. Method. Standardized shame and anger questionnaires and four items assessing self‐harm modified from an impulsive behaviour questionnaire were verbally administered. Women were interviewed to assess the occurrence of physical and sexual abuse in childhood. Results. Over half (57%) the women reported suicidal and other self‐harming behaviours at some time in their lives, with 50% of these occurring just before or during the current sentence. All shame, anger, and abuse variables were significantly related to self‐harm, but only bodily shame showed an independent relationship when all variables were considered together. Bodily shame was most strongly associated with CSA, and a mediational analysis tested these specific links with self‐harm. Both CSA and bodily shame made significant independent contributions to self‐harm; however, bodily shame demonstrated the strongest effect, partially mediating the effect of CSA. Conclusions. This is the first study to demonstrate a significant statistical relationship between shame and self‐harming behaviours in women. The findings have implications for the assessment of the therapeutic needs of women prisoners. Future research directions are discussed.


Anger and core beliefs in the eating disorders

July 2003

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371 Reads

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145 Citations

International Journal of Eating Disorders

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Rhonda Milligan

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[...]

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The link between emotion and eating pathology has long been established, but relatively little is known about the role of anger, partly because the existing literature has tended to concentrate on anger as a unitary construct. Nor is there any understanding of the cognitive factors that drive this affect in the eating disorders. This study had two aims: to determine levels of different facets of anger across eating disorder diagnoses and behaviors; and to investigate whether facets of anger are related to the individual's negative core beliefs. The sample consisted of 140 women who met DSM-IV criteria for eating disorders, and 50 female control participants (university undergraduates). The women completed self-report questionnaires of anger levels and unhealthy core beliefs, and the presence of bulimic behaviors was recorded at assessment. The eating-disordered women had higher levels of state anger and anger suppression, particularly if the diagnosis included bulimic symptoms. Different aspects of anger were associated with specific bulimic behaviors. Unhealthy core beliefs were associated with higher levels of trait anger in both groups but with anger suppression in the clinical women only. Suggestions are made regarding ways in which state anger and anger suppression might be understood and treated in women with eating disorders.


Eating disturbances in female prisoners: The role of anger

February 2002

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152 Reads

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29 Citations

Eating Behaviors

Women in prison have high levels of impulsive damaging behaviours, including disordered eating. In addition, they display pathological levels of the emotional precursors that have been associated with eating disorders, particularly anger. The present study examines levels of disordered eating behaviours in female prisoners, and whether those behaviours are associated with anger. The sample consisted of 91 sentenced women at a medium-sized prison in the UK. The women completed an interview-based screening tool for eating disorders, alongside a standardised measure of anger. Using the established cut-off on the measure concerned, 25% of the women were at risk for an eating disorder. This prevalence rate is exactly twice that observed in a non-eating-disordered community sample, using the same measure. Furthermore, different facets of anger were associated with different aspects of eating psychopathology. The most plausible explanation for this association appears to be that many women enter prison with high levels of anger-driven impulsivity, and that the constraints of the prison environment result in a focus on eating behaviours. Future research directions are discussed.


Anger and impulsivity in non-clinical women

April 2001

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26 Reads

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28 Citations

Personality and Individual Differences

There are well-established links between negative affective states and internally directed impulsive behaviours (such as self-harm), but it is unclear whether there is also an association with externally directed impulsive behaviours (such as sexual promiscuity or theft). Using standardised measures, the present study examined the associations between the different facets of anger and a wide range of impulsive behaviours in a non-clinical group of women. It was found that internally directed impulsive behaviours were more closely associated with components of anger than externally directed impulsive behaviours. The key elements of anger were anger expression, trait anger and externally directed anger. It is concluded that individuals who engage in internally directed impulsive behaviours are more likely to experience and to express anger relatively frequently, and without specific provocation [Spielberger, C.D. (1996). State-trait expression inventory: professional manual. Odessa: Psychological Assessment Resources]. Thus, those women who report higher levels of internally directed impulsive behaviours appear to be particularly likely to exhibit anger-proneness as a personality trait.


Anger and bulimic pathology among non-clinical women

January 2001

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10 Reads

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65 Citations

International Journal of Eating Disorders

Although there are well-established links between bulimic psychopathology and some affective states, the role of anger is not clearly understood. This is likely to be a product of the diverse nature of anger. The present study examines the association of different components of anger with bulimic attitudes and behaviors among a nonclinical group of women. Eighty-three nonclinical women completed standardized measures of anger and bulimic attitudes/behaviors. Bulimic attitudes and behaviors were correlated specifically with state anger and anger suppression, rather than with trait anger. The pattern of results suggests that binging and vomiting behaviors may serve different functions with regard to anger. Bulimic attitudes and behaviors appear to reduce immediate anger states, particularly when the individual has a strong tendency to avoid expressing that emotion. Potential therapeutic implications are considered.


Anger and bulimic psychopathology among nonclinical women

December 2000

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38 Reads

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60 Citations

International Journal of Eating Disorders

Objective: Although there are well-established links between bulimic psychopathology and some affective states, the role of anger is not clearly understood. This is likely to be a product of the diverse nature of anger. The present study examines the association of different components of anger with bulimic attitudes and behaviors among a nonclinical group of women. Methods: Eighty-three nonclinical women completed standardized measures of anger and bulimic attitudes/behaviors. Results: Bulimic attitudes and behaviors were correlated specifically with state anger and anger suppression, rather than with trait anger. The pattern of results suggests that binging and vomiting behaviors may serve different functions with regard to anger. Conclusions: Bulimic attitudes and behaviors appear to reduce immediate anger states, particularly when the individual has a strong tendency to avoid expressing that emotion. Potential therapeutic implications are considered. (C) 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Citations (6)


... A growing body of literature has indicated that difficulties in regulating emotions affect attitudes toward eating (Macht & Simons, 2000;Milligan & Waller, 2000) and are associated with the presence of eating disorders (Corcos et al., 2000;Gilboa-Schechtman, Avnon, Zubery, & Jeczmien, 2006;Kucharska-Pietura, Nikolaou, Masiak, & Treasure, 2004;Speranza et al., 2005;Zonnevijlle-Bendek, van Goozen, Cohen-Kettenis, van Elburg, & van Engeland, 2002). Such evidence gives rise to the hypothesis that parental difficulties in regulating emotions can be transmitted within the context of early feeding interaction with the baby, influencing the development of the child's eating regulation as well as his or her ability to handle emotional states (Anderson, Gooze, Lemeshow, & Whitaker, 2012;de Campora, D'Onofrio, & Zavattini, 2014;de Campora, Lindshield, & Giromini, 2015;de Campora & Meldolesi, 2014). ...

Reference:

Influence of maternal reflective functioning on mothers’ and children's weight: A follow‐up study
Anger and bulimic psychopathology among nonclinical women
  • Citing Article
  • December 2000

International Journal of Eating Disorders

... An unexpected finding of the present study is the higher prevalence of car accidents in women housed in antiviolence centers than in the control group (34.3% vs 2.3%). While we cannot definitively ascertain the type or severity of accidents from our questionnaire, the potential link between serious violence endured and self-injurious or careless behavior cannot be ignored [43]. Due to the absence of an assessment of mental disorders, we can only present the data as it is. ...

Suicidal and other self-harming behaviour in offender women: The role of shame, anger and childhood abuse
  • Citing Article
  • February 2005

Legal and Criminological Psychology

... Anger is considered an 'approach based emotion.' Previous studies have cited anger as a central emotion to eating disorders (e.g., Milligan and Waller, 2000;Milligan et al., 2002;Milligan and Waller, 2001). However, our findings suggest that, rather than approach-oriented emotions, high arousal emotions characterized by avoidance motivations (e.g., guilt, anxiety) may be particularly prompting of bulimic events because these emotions reach the highest magnitude prior to behaviors. ...

Anger and impulsivity in non-clinical women
  • Citing Article
  • April 2001

Personality and Individual Differences

... Comparative validity of the Chinese versions of the bulimic inventory test Edinburgh and eating attitudes test for DSM-IV eating disorders among high school dance and nondance students in Taiwan [43] T20 AN An audit of a British sample of death certificates in which anorexia nervosa is listed as a cause of death [62] T43 Purge behavior The use of multiple purging methods as an indicator of eating disorder severity [63] T42 Birth Season of birth bias and anorexia nervosa: Results from an international collaboration [64] T30 Risk of comorbidity Suicidality in adolescents and adults with binge-eating disorder: Results from the national comorbidity survey replication and adolescent supplement [65] T35 Abuse Trait-defined eating disorder subtypes and history of childhood abuse [66] T6 Bulimic symptom Anger and bulimic psychopathology among nonclinical women [67] Treatment T32 Syndrome A case report of Usher's syndrome and anorexia nervosa [68] T21 Metabolism Plasma tryptophan levels and anorexia in liver cirrhosis [69] T11 Medical complication Digestive complication in severe malnourished anorexia nervosa patient: a case report of necrotizing colitis [70] T44 Inpatient treatment A naturalistic comparison of two inpatient treatment protocols for adults with anorexia nervosa: Does reducing duration of treatment and external controls compromise outcome? [71] T3 BMI Body composition and menstrual status in adults with a history of anorexia nervosa-at what fat percentage is the menstrual cycle restored? ...

Anger and bulimic pathology among non-clinical women
  • Citing Article
  • January 2001

International Journal of Eating Disorders

... Indeed, females generally report greater cognitive vulnerability in terms of early maladaptive schemas compared with males [5,6] and in association with sexual and marital dissatisfaction [7,8] as well as in association with eating attitudes [1]. While the empirical relationship between maladaptive cognitions such as negative selfbeliefs and ED symptoms has been extensively supported in females with EDs [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] the assessment of functional adaptive beliefs regarding the self, others, and the world in this clinical population is frequently ignored [14,18]. ...

Anger and core beliefs in the eating disorders
  • Citing Article
  • July 2003

International Journal of Eating Disorders

... A battery of well-established self-report screening tools, commonly used in clinical and forensic settings, were used to screen for a range of mental health issues including personality disorder, clinical syndromes (e.g., anxiety, somatoform, mood disorders, 1 PTSD, and psychotic disorders 2 ), drug and alcohol dependence, eating disorders, and risk of suicidal behaviours. Screening tools were selected for use in the current study as they are frequently used in research and practice with prison samples [4,[8][9][10][11][12]. Traits indicative of personality disorder and clinical syndromes were screened for using the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory Third Edition (MCMI-III) [13]. ...

Eating disturbances in female prisoners: The role of anger
  • Citing Article
  • February 2002

Eating Behaviors