Multifactorial assessment of bulimia nervosa.
We investigated a multifactorial approach to the assessment of bulimia nervosa by means of hierarchical factor analysis. Two hundred forty-five bulimia nervosa patients and 68 patients with either anorexia nervosa or eating disorders not otherwise specified were administered a self-report battery that was organized into 21 dimensions relevant to eating disorder patients. When dimensions from this battery were subjected to hierarchical factor analysis, support for bulimia nervosa as a unique diagnostic category was obtained. However, the emergence of 3 secondary factors and 6 primary factors suggests that bulimia nervosa can also be described more complexly. The emergence of a multifactorial model of bulimia nervosa that incorporates several existing undimensional models suggests the potential for both divergent and complicated clinical presentation in bulimia nervosa patients.
Tobin
D L
DL
Department of Psychiatry, University of Chicago, Illinois 60640.
Johnson
C
C
Steinberg
S
S
Staats
M
M
Dennis
A B
AB
D002032:Bulimia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010555:Personality Inventory