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Do Recognizable Lifetime Eating Disorder Phenotypes Naturally Occur in a Culturally Asian Population? A Combined Latent Profile and Taxometric Approach
Author(s) -
Thomas Jennifer J.,
Eddy Kamryn T.,
Ruscio John,
Ng King Lam,
Casale Kristen E.,
Becker Anne E.,
Lee Sing
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
european eating disorders review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.511
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1099-0968
pISSN - 1072-4133
DOI - 10.1002/erv.2357
Subject(s) - psychology , overweight , latent class model , categorical variable , binge eating , eating disorders , binge eating disorder , population , clinical psychology , demography , obesity , medicine , bulimia nervosa , statistics , mathematics , sociology
Background We examined whether empirically derived eating disorder (ED) categories in Hong Kong Chinese patients ( N = 454) would be consistent with recognizable lifetime ED phenotypes derived from latent structure models of European and American samples. Method We performed latent profile analysis (LPA) using indicator variables from data collected during routine assessment, and then applied taxometric analysis to determine whether latent classes were qualitatively versus quantitatively distinct. Results Latent profile analysis identified four classes: (i) binge/purge (47%); (ii) non‐fat‐phobic low‐weight (34%); (iii) fat‐phobic low‐weight (12%); and (iv) overweight disordered eating (6%). Taxometric analysis identified qualitative (categorical) distinctions between the binge/purge and non‐fat‐phobic low‐weight classes, and also between the fat‐phobic and non‐fat‐phobic low‐weight classes. Distinctions between the fat‐phobic low‐weight and binge/purge classes were indeterminate. Conclusion Empirically derived categories in Hong Kong showed recognizable correspondence with recognizable lifetime ED phenotypes. Although taxometric findings support two distinct classes of low weight EDs, LPA findings also support heterogeneity among non‐fat‐phobic individuals. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.