title: MCMI-II profiles of women with eating disorders: a cluster analytic investigation.
abstract: A three-factor model of personality pathology was investigated in a clinical sample of 183 female patients in an outpatient eating disorders treatment program. Cluster analysis of MCMI-II personality scales (Millon, 1987) yielded three distinct personality profiles, which were consistent with previous studies. First, 16.9% of the sample comprised a High Functioning cluster, which manifested no clinical elevations on the MCMI-II and had significantly lower scores on the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI; Garner; 1991) scales than the other two clusters. Second, 49.1% of the sample comprised an Undercontrolled/Dysregulated cluster. Finally, the remaining 34% of the sample comprised an Overcontrolled/Avoidant cluster. This final cluster had significantly higher EDI Ineffectiveness scale scores than the Undercontrolled/Dysregulated cluster group. Cluster membership was not associated with eating disorder subtype, suggesting that there is considerable variance in personality pathology within eating disorder diagnostic categories.
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 226 Education Bldg., 1310 S. 6th St., Champaign, IL 61820-6990, USA. espelage@uiuc.edu
authors.forename: Dorothy L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Espelage
authors.forename: Suzanne E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Mazzeo
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sherman
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Thompson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010555:Personality Inventory