Anorexia

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• Petrie, Trent A. and Rogers, Rebecca L. Psychological correlates of anorexia and bulimic symptomatology. Journal of Counseling and Development. Volume 79. Spring. 01 pgs. 178-185.

Purpose: This study investigated the connection between eating disorder symptomatology and several psychological correlates-obsessiveness, dependency, over controlled hostility, assertiveness, locus of control, and self-esteem. Regression analyses indicated that obsessiveness and 2 factors of dependency accounted for 21% of the variance in a measure of anorexia attitudes and behaviors. One factor of dependency and obsessiveness accounted for 20% of the variance in a measure of bulimic symptomatology.
Subjects: Participants were 97 female undergraduates solicited from a large, southwestern university. The mean age of participants was 22. 17 years (SD=5.61). For race/ethnicity, 72% identified themselves as Caucasian or non-Hispanic, 10% Asian American, 7% African American, 7% Hispanic, 2% Native American, and 1% as “Other.” Thirty-three percent of participants classified themselves as freshmen, 13% as sophomores, 25% as juniors, and 27% as seniors. The majority stated they were single, never married (72%). Mean body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) of participants was 22. 23 (SD=3.83).
Instruments: Anorexic symptomatology, The 40-item EAT (Garner and Garfinkel, 1979) assesses psychological and behavioral symptoms associated with anorexia. For each item, individuals indicated the degree to which it applies to them on a 6-point scale ranging from always to never. Although there are 6 responses options, items are scored as follows: 3 points for the most extreme anorexic response, 2 points for the next most extreme response, and 1 point for the next, the remaining responses are scored as 0. A total score is obtained by summing points and may range from 0, no anorexic symptomatology, to 120, high degree of anorexic symptomatology. Bulimic Symptomatology. The 36-item Bulimia Test Revised (BULIT-R; Thelen, Farmer, Wonderlich, and Smith, 1991; Thelen, Mintz, and Vander Wal, 1996) measures symptoms of bulimia, based on criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 1994). Obsessiveness. The 70-item Leyton Obsessional Inventory-Questionnaire (LOI-Q; Snowdon, 1980) is a self-report inventory that was based on the individually administered Leyton Obsessional Inventory (Cooper, 1970). The LOI-Q consists of four subscales: Obsessional Symptom, Obsessional Trait, Resistance, and Interference, The Resistance and Interference, and Interference. The Resistance and Interference Subscales seem to measure a general level Interference subscales seem to measure a general level of psychological distress and were not used in the present investigation. The Obsessional Symptom subscale measures chronic thoughts and feeling that are ego-systonic and often result in compulsive behaviors used to decrease anxiety associated with resisting these thoughts and feelings.

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