The BULIT-R: its reliability and clinical validity as a screening tool for DSM-III-R bulimia nervosa in a female tertiary education population.
The Bulimia Test (BULIT) has been updated to accommodate the DSM-III-R criteria for bulimia nervosa. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the psychometric properties of the BULIT-R using a sample of young women at a tertiary educational institute. The results showed all 28 BULIT-R items correlated highly with the total test score (average = .59) and the internal reliability was high (.92). In terms of its concurrent validity, the BULIT-R correlated highly (.90) with the Bulimia Investigatory Test Edinburgh (BITE), a screening measure argued to detect bulimia nervosa. In terms of criterion-related validity, the optimal cutoff for the BULIT-R as a screening measure was 98 with this sample, using a semistructured DIS-III R interview administered by experienced clinicians who specialize in eating disorders. At this cutoff, the sensitivity was 100%, the specificity 99.0%, the negative predictive value 100%, and the positive predictive value 71.3%.
Welch
G
G
Mental Health Unit, Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, MA 02215.
Thompson
L
L
Hall
A
A
D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image; D001835:Body Weight; D002032:Bulimia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results