Subtyping women with bulimia nervosa along dietary and negative affect dimensions: a replication in a treatment-seeking sample.
Recent cluster-analysis studies of women with bulimia nervosa (BN) have suggested two subtypes, a pure dietary subtype and a mixed dietary-negative affect. We aimed to replicate the subtyping findings in a clinical study group of 48 adult women with BN. Cluster analyses revealed a dietary-negative affect subtype (56% of cases) and a pure dietary subtype (44% of cases). The dietary-negative affect subtype was characterized by significantly greater eating-related attitudinal psychopathology and associated psychological disturbance. Our findings suggest that severe restraint is a central feature of BN and that affective disturbance, which occurs in roughly half of cases, is associated with greater eating-related attitudinal psychopathology and psychological symptomatology.
Grilo
C M
CM
Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, USA.
Masheb
R M
RM
Berman
R M
RM
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002032:Bulimia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004032:Diet / Q000523:psychology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires