title: A taxometric investigation of the latent structure of eating disorders.
abstract: The present study examined the latent structure of eating disorder symptoms in a large sample of patients with a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa restricting type, anorexia nervosa binge eating/purging type, and bulimia nervosa (n=3747). Three taxometric procedures (MAXimum EIGenvalue (MAXEIG), Mean Above Minus Below A (MAMBAC), and Latent-Mode Factor Analysis (L-Mode)) were applied to self-reported symptoms of bulimia, drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction, as well as body mass index. Taxometric analysis among patients with the restricting and binge eating/purging subtype of anorexia and those with bulimia nervosa supported a dimensional latent structure of eating disorder symptoms. Taxometric analysis also revealed a dimensional latent structure of eating disorder symptoms among patients with the restricting and binge eating/purging subtype of anorexia suggesting that the two anorexia subtypes may not represent discrete categories. These findings suggest that the diagnosis and assessment of eating disorder symptoms should be conceptualized from a dimensional framework.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA. olubunmi.o.olatunji@vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: Bunmi O
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Olatunji
authors.forename: Joshua J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Broman-Fulks
authors.forename: Bethany G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Ciesielski
authors.forename: Laci L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Zawilinski
authors.forename: Shona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shewmaker
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wall
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis; D056912:Binge-Eating Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis; D015992:Body Mass Index; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis; D002648:Child; D002965:Classification; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult