Premium
Body size estimation and body dissatisfaction in eating disorder patients and normal controls
Author(s) -
Fernández Fernando,
Probst Michel,
Meerman Rolf,
Vandereycken Walter
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/1098-108x(199411)16:3<307::aid-eat2260160313>3.0.co;2-p
Subject(s) - psychology , estimation , body shape , ideal (ethics) , body weight , test (biology) , eating disorders , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , medicine , paleontology , philosophy , management , epistemology , pathology , economics , biology
In this study comparing 41 eating disorder patients and 34 female controls, the video distortion technique was used to test the accuracy of body size estimation and to assess the ideal body image. No difference was found in the estimation of actual body sizes, although the accuracy of estimation was quite variable in both bulimics and anorexics. With regard to the ideal body image, significant differences were found: All bulimics and 92.6% of the controls wished to be thinner versus 42.9% of the anorexics (23.8% wished to be larger). Looking at subjective body experience, as measured with a selfreport questionnaire (Body Attitudes Test), body dissatisfaction appeared to be negatively correlated with the ideal body image but not with the estimation of actual body sizes. © 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.