Anorexia nervosa in male adolescents: body image, eating attitudes and psychological traits.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate body image and its relationship with psychological and behavioral traits associated with anorexia nervosa in male patients.


METHODS
Thirty male adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) were compared with 421 male adolescents from the general population. Body image was evaluated with the Subjective Body Dimensions Apparatus. Eating attitudes were evaluated by the Eating Attitudes Test in its 26-item version (EAT-26). In 19 AN patients and 200 boys from the comparison group, the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI) was also administered.


RESULTS
AN patients had higher mean scores in the EAT-26 and the Body Dissatisfaction scale on the EDI, but not on the other EDI scales. Both groups overestimated all parts of their bodies but AN patients presented a greater overestimation of shoulders (p = .007), hips (p = .01) and thighs (p = .019). Correlations in the anorexic group were high and negative between body overestimation and body mass index and also high but positive between overestimation and the EAT and the Drive for Thinness scale on the EDI. Overestimation did not correlate significantly with other EDI scales.


CONCLUSIONS
Male patients with anorexia nervosa overestimate some parts of their bodies more often than controls; this overestimation is related to body mass index, abnormal eating attitudes and drive for thinness, but not to other psychological traits evaluated by the EDI.
Gila
Araceli
A
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clinic Universitari of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Castro
Josefina
J
Cesena
José
J
Toro
Josep
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001828:Body Image; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012737:Sex Factors