title: The relationship between eating disorder psychopathology and health-related quality of life within a community sample.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent research has begun investigating the impact of eating disorders on health-related quality of life (QOL). The present study examined the impact of eating disorder psychopathology on QOL within a community sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and fourteen women completed questionnaires assessing eating disorder symptoms, body dissatisfaction, body checking and body avoidance behaviors, and general psychopathology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eating disturbance and body image dissatisfaction were associated with poorer QOL. In addition, eating disorder psychopathology uniquely predicted QOL above and beyond the variance accounted for by general psychopathology. Both subjective bulimic episodes and objective bulimic episodes were associated with impairments in QOL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that eating disorder psychopathology may adversely affect the lives of women within the community. Early intervention and detection could reduce the negative impact of eating disorder psychopathology on women's lives and protect individuals with mild eating disorder symptoms from a further reduction in QOL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Joanna K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Vallance
authors.forename: Janet D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Latner
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Gleaves
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D057215:Body Dysmorphic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D002032:Bulimia / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult