Does anorexia nervosa occur on a continuum?
1983
Garner, David M. | Olmsted, Marion P. | Garfinkel, Paul E.
Extract: Psychological traits of patients with anorexia nervosa were compared with those of weight-preoccupied women from samples of college and ballet students. Weight-preoccupied subjects were selected on the basis of extreme scores on the Drive for Thinness subscale on the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI). Results indicated that on the Ineffectiveness, Interpersonal Distrust, and lack of Interoceptive Awareness subscales, relatively few of the weight-preoccupied women from the nonclinical group scored above the anorexia nervosa median. Using cluster analysis procedures, the weight-preoccupied women were divided into 2 subgroups. Cluster 1 was characterized by elevated scores on all EDI subscales, indicating significant psychopathology. Cluster 2 had elevated scores only on Drive for Thinness, Body Dissatisfaction, and Perfectionism and could be described as "normal dieters." These findings were interpreted as indicating that although there are some highly weight-preoccupied females who display psychopathology quite similar to anorexia nervosa, others only superficially resemble patients suffering from serious eating disorders. These results underscore the importance of a multidimensional evaluation of psychopathology in those suspected of anorexia nervosa. (author)
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