title: The development of the P-CAN, a measure to operationalize the pros and cons of anorexia nervosa.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Research has suggested that a fundamental aspect of anorexia nervosa (AN) is its egosyntonic nature, the fact that it is often valued by individuals with the disorder. The current study describes the development of the P-CAN, a quantitative measure of both positive (valued) and negative aspects of AN.
  
  
  METHODS
  Items were derived from a previous qualitative study (Serpell, Treasure, Teasdale, & Sullivan. 1999. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 25, 177-186). Data from 233 women with AN were subjected to a principal components analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ten subscales were identified, six describing the pros of AN and four describing the cons of the illness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The P-CAN shows good psychometric properties and should prove a useful tool for the measurement of attitudes towards AN, as well as offer insights into the maintenance of the disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, St. Georges Hospital Medical School, London, UK. lucy@serpell.com
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Serpell
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Teasdale
authors.forename: Nicholas A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Troop
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Treasure
mesh_terms: D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires