title: Perceived-competence deficit in anorexia nervosa.
abstract: Anorexia nervosa patients are portrayed as competent and accomplished and yet they feel ineffective and diffident. The assessment of this aspect of their self-esteem presents methodological problems. The Interests and Abilities Questionnaire was designed to measure interests and perceived abilities in typical adolescent activities. The disparity between interests and perceived abilities--perceived-competence deficit (PCD)--was hypothesized to be characteristic of anorexics. Three groups of females, aged 14 to 24, were studied: 13 anorexic inpatients, 13 psychiatric inpatients without an eating disorder but of similar severity of illness, and 48 nonclinical subjects. Similar to the nonclinical controls, anorexics were interested in a variety of activities; similar to control patients, anorexics rated their abilities lower than nonclinical subjects. In PCD, anorexics scored significantly higher than both control groups; this difference was not related to level of depression.
authors.affiliation: Yale University Health Services, Division of Mental Hygiene, New Haven, Connecticut 06520.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Bers
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Quinlan
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D001076:Aptitude; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D012649:Self Concept