Specificity of self-concept disturbances in eating disorders.
OBJECTIVE
The current study examined self-concept deficits among three diagnostic groups of eating-disordered patients, evaluated the relationship between self-concept deficits and depression, and addressed the specificity of self-concept deficits in eating-disordered patients.


METHODS
Three groups of eating-disordered patients (anorexia nervosa, N = 33; bulimia nervosa, N = 38; binge eating disorder, N = 28) were first compared to three matched healthy control groups and then to two psychiatric comparison groups (patients with anxiety disorders, N = 37; patients with depressive disorders, N = 37).


RESULTS
All three groups of eating-disordered patients displayed lower self-esteem and higher feelings of ineffectiveness compared with the healthy controls, even after controlling for depression. Differences in self-esteem and ineffectiveness were also found between eating-disordered patients and psychiatric controls. However, not all of the differences were significant. In addition, the psychiatric controls also exhibited lower self-esteem than normative samples.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings suggest that self-concept deficits are more pronounced in eating-disordered patients but cannot be regarded as highly specific.
Department of Psychology, Fachbereich I, University of Trier, Trier, Germany. jacobi@uni-trier.de
Corinna
C
Jacobi
Thomas
T
Paul
Martina
M
de Zwaan
Detlef O
DO
Nutzinger
Bernhard
B
Dahme
D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity