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Self‐recognition of disordered eating among women with bulimic‐type eating disorders: A community‐based study
Author(s) -
Mond Jonathan,
Hay Phillipa,
Rodgers Bryan,
Owen Cathy
Publication year - 2006
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/eat.20306
Subject(s) - eating disorders , bulimia nervosa , psychopathology , psychology , disordered eating , distress , clinical psychology , psychiatry , vomiting , anorexia nervosa , medicine
Objective: Self‐recognition of eating‐disordered behavior was examined in a community sample of young adult women ( n = 158) with bulimic eating disorders. Method: A vignette was presented describing a fictional person meeting diagnostic criteria for bulimia nervosa. Participants were asked whether they might currently have a problem such as the one described. Scores on measures of eating disorder psychopathology, functional impairment and general psychological distress were compared between participants who recognized a problem with their eating and those who did not. Results: Participants who recognized a problem with their eating ( n = 86, 51.9%) had higher levels of eating disorder psychopathology and general psychological distress, were more likely to engage in self‐induced vomiting, and tended to be heavier, than those who did not ( n = 72, 48.1%). In addition, participants who recognized a problem were more likely to have received treatment for an eating or weight problem. In multivariate analysis, the occurrence of self‐induced vomiting and higher body weight were the only variables significantly associated with recognition. Conclusion: Poor recognition of eating‐disordered behavior may be conducive to low or inappropriate treatment seeking among individuals with bulimic‐ type eating disorders. The perception that only disorders involving self‐induced vomiting are pathological may need to be addressed in prevention programs. © 2006 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2006; 39:747–753