Overt and covert aggression in college women with bulimia nervosa.
OBJECTIVE
This study examines the prevalence of overt and covert aggression in women with bulimia nervosa (BN) as well as the relationship between the severity of BN and the frequency of aggressive acts.


METHODS
20 female college students with BN and 20 control subjects completed self-report measures of aggressive behavior and eating disorder pathology. They also completed the Juvenile Health and Wellness Survey-76 to assess general risk taking and indices of sexual behavior and mental health.


RESULTS
BN subjects reported higher levels of both overt and covert aggression (p < .001). Overt aggression tended to be more premeditated, while the self-report of covert aggression behavior was more impulsive. Levels of aggressive behavior were significantly correlated with severity of BN (p < .01). Subjects with BN reported higher levels of risk-taking and sexual behaviors.


CONCLUSIONS
Aggression is an important clinical issue in BN. Subtypes of aggression suggest different pathways for overt and covert aggressive acts with impulsive covert aggression being more closely related to the binge-purge cycle. Awareness of subtypes of aggression in BN may have important clinical and treatment implications.
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna. julia.huemer@meduniwien.ac.at
Julia
J
Huemer
Ashwini
A
Sagar
Kathleen
K
Alquero
Katie
K
Denny
Richard J
RJ
Shaw
Hans
H
Steiner
D000293:Adolescent; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult