Factors related to severity of vomiting behaviors in bulimia nervosa.
Assessments of the severity of vomiting (weekly frequency), depressive and eating-related psychopathology, anger level and management, and personality dimensions were used to characterize patients with bulimia nervosa binge purging type (BN-BP). The sample comprised 130 outpatients with BN and 130 control women. The Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2), the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) were administered to all patients. The Self-Directedness dimension of the TCI and the Bulimia subscale of the EDI-2 were the strongest predictors of the severity of bulimic behavior; anger levels and anger expression were not so strongly related to illness severity. A more severe form of bulimic symptomatology probably has substrata in specific character deficits (low Self-Directedness on the TCI) and particular psychopathological features (high bulimia on the EDI-2). Patients with a high frequency of vomiting need specific therapeutic interventions to enhance the character dimension of Self-Directedness.
Abbate-Daga
Giovanni
G
Department of Neurosciences, Psychiatric Institute, University of Turin, Via Cherasco 11, 10126 Torino, Italy.
Pierò
Andrea
A
Gramaglia
Carla
C
Fassino
Secondo
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000786:Anger; D002032:Bulimia / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*; D002605:Character; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011599:Psychopathology; D012016:Reference Values; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013694:Temperament; D014839:Vomiting / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*