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Eating‐disordered patients with and without self‐injurious behaviours: a comparison of psychopathological features
Author(s) -
Claes Laurence,
Vandereycken Walter,
Vertommen Hans
Publication year - 2003
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.510
Subject(s) - psychopathology , eating disorders , hostility , anxiety , anger , psychology , clinical psychology , aggression , personality disorders , psychiatry , feeling , personality , social psychology
Objective: A considerable number of eating‐disordered patients also display all kinds of self‐injurious behaviours (SIB), which might be viewed as an indicator of psychopathological severity. Method: To test this hypothesis in 70 females admitted to a specialized treatment programme for eating disorders, a wide spectrum of psychopathological features was studied by means of self‐reporting questionnaires: clinical symptomatology, personality disorders, aggression regulation, trauma history, dissociation and body experience. A comparison was made between patients with (n = 27) and without SIB (n = 43), as well as between patients with one (n = 13) versus more types (n = 14) of SIB. Results: In general, patients with SIB reported significantly more complaints or signs of anxiety, depression, hostility, cluster B personality disorders, feelings of anger, traumatic experiences, dissociation and negative appreciation of body size. The presence of more than one type of SIB was linked to a more pronounced clinical symptomatology and trauma history. . Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.