Selective processing of body image words in women at-risk for developing an eating disorder: A preliminary study (original) (raw)
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Objective: To investigate the psychometric properties of the Body Uneasiness Test (BUT), a 71-item self-report questionnaire that consists of two parts: BUT•A which measures weight phobia, body image concerns, avoidance, compulsive self-monitoring, detachment and estrangement feelings towards one's own body (depersonalization); and BUT•B which looks at specific worries about particular body parts or functions. Methods: We recruited a clinical sample of 531 subjects (491 females) suffering from eating disorders and a general population sample of 3273 subjects (2016 females) with BMI <25 and Eating Attitudes Test-26 scores under the cut-off 20. Results: The exploratory and confirmatory analyses confirmed a structural five-factor model for BUT•A and an eight-factor model for BUT•B. Internal consistency was satisfactory. The test-retest correlation coefficients were highly significant. Concurrent validity with other tests (Eating Disorder Inventory, EDI-2; Eating Attitudes Test, EAT-26; Symptom Check List, SCL-90R and Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, SEI) was evaluated. Normative values for BUT scores in non-clinical samples of normal-weight non eating disordered subjects, from adolescence to old age, males and females, were calculated. The differences between males and females were highly significant, above all in the 18-39-age range. As for the comparison between women with eating disorders and controls, the results demonstrated a good predictive validity for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Conclusions: The BUT is psychometrically sound. It can be a valuable tool for the screening and the clinical assessment of abnormal body image attitudes and eating disorders. (Eating Weight Disord. 11: 1-13, 2006). © 2006, Editrice Kurtis © 2 0 0 6 , E d i t r i c e K u r t i s Eating Weight Disord. © 2 0 0 6 , E d i t r i c e K u r t i s Eating Weight Disord. 11: 1-13, 2006 ©2006, Editrice Kurtis Body Uneasiness Test © 2 0 0 6 , E d i t r i c e K u r t i s N O T P R I N T A B L E Eating Weight Disord.
Objective: To investigate the psychometric properties of the Body Uneasiness Test (BUT), a 71-item self-report questionnaire that consists of two parts: BUT•A which measures weight phobia, body image concerns, avoidance, compulsive self-monitoring, detachment and estrangement feelings towards one's own body (depersonalization); and BUT•B which looks at specific worries about particular body parts or functions. Methods: We recruited a clinical sample of 531 subjects (491 females) suffering from eating disorders and a general population sample of 3273 subjects (2016 females) with BMI <25 and Eating Attitudes Test-26 scores under the cut-off 20. Results: The exploratory and confirmatory analyses confirmed a structural five-factor model for BUT•A and an eight-factor model for BUT•B. Internal consistency was satisfactory. The test-retest correlation coefficients were highly significant. Concurrent validity with other tests (Eating Disorder Inventory, EDI-2; Eating Attitudes Test, EAT-26; Symptom Check List, SCL-90R and Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, SEI) was evaluated. Normative values for BUT scores in non-clinical samples of normal-weight non eating disordered subjects, from adolescence to old age, males and females, were calculated. The differences between males and females were highly significant, above all in the 18-39-age range. As for the comparison between women with eating disorders and controls, the results demonstrated a good predictive validity for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Conclusions: The BUT is psychometrically sound. It can be a valuable tool for the screening and the clinical assessment of abnormal body image attitudes and eating disorders. (Eating Weight Disord. 11: 1-13, 2006). © 2006, Editrice Kurtis © 2 0 0 6 , E d i t r i c e K u r t i s Eating Weight Disord. © 2 0 0 6 , E d i t r i c e K u r t i s Eating Weight Disord. 11: 1-13, 2006 ©2006, Editrice Kurtis Body Uneasiness Test © 2 0 0 6 , E d i t r i c e K u r t i s N O T P R I N T A B L E Eating Weight Disord.
International Journal of Eating Disorders, 1989
This report describes an adaptation of the Stroop Effect for measuring psychopathology. The Stroop Effect has been adapted to provide a quantitative measure of concerns relating to food and shape in patients undergoing treatment for anorexia nervosa and bulimia. The measure takes advantage of the disrupting effect of psychopathology on color naming of food and shape words. In comparison to agematched controls, anorexic and bulimic patients had significantly retarded colornaming of food words. There was a trend, which only reached significance with the bulimic subjects, for the color-naming of shape words to be similarly retarded. The potential utility of this adaptation of the Stroop Effect is discussed.
Development of the body image concern inventory
Behaviour Research and Therapy, 2005
Development of the Body Image Concern Inventory (BICI), a measure designed to assess dysmorphic concern, is described. A panel of expert raters supported the construct validity of the measure, and four college student samples (N s ¼ 184, 200, 56, 40) supported the internal consistency of the BICI. In addition, in studies 1 and 3, concurrent validity was established through comparison of the BICI to extant self-report and interview measures of dysmorphic symptomatology. Convergent validity patterns were assessed through comparison with measures of obsessive-compulsive and eating disorder symptomatology in studies 2 and 4. Finally, the results of study 4 supported that the BICI discriminated individuals with a diagnosis of Body Dysmorphic Disorder or bulimia (disorders that frequently involve high levels of dysmorphic concern) from those with subclinical symptoms. Results suggest that the BICI is a reliable, valid, and userfriendly tool for assessing dysmorphic concern, with utility in both research and clinical settings.
The validity of subjective measures of body image disturbance
Eating Behaviors, 2004
We examined weight dissatisfaction (actual weight minus self-stated ideal weight) and weight goal (normative weight minus self-stated ideal weight) subjective indices in a large clinical sample to determine how the indices discriminate between diagnostic categories and relate to other measures of body image disturbance.
Journal of Eating Disorders, 2017
Background: Although not part of the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-5, body image disturbance seems to be a relevant feature of Binge Eating Disorder (BED) as well as of other eating disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa (AN) or Bulimia Nervosa (BN). Hence, the aim of the present pilot study was to assess the changeability of body image disturbance in a sample of overweight females with BED by a cognitive-behavioral treatment, directly addressing body image disturbance. Method: Overweight females (N = 34) with BED were randomized to a manualized body image therapy or a waiting-list control group. The final sample consisted of n = 15 participants in the intervention group and n = 19 in the control group due to two drop-outs in the control condition. Before and after the intervention or the waiting period, respectively, participants filled out a questionnaire battery assessing several body image and eating disorder related features. To quantify the perceptual component of body image disturbance, a digital photo distortion technique based on a picture of each participant taken in a standardized suit was applied. Results: In a two-way ANOVA, significant Time × Group interactions were found for eating and shape concerns, drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction, depressiveness and low self-esteem. Follow-up t-tests indicated a significant symptom reduction of a generally high magnitude in the intervention group. No significant changes concerning body checking and the estimations of one's own "real", "felt" and "ideal" body dimensions were found. Conclusion: The strong symptom reduction in the cognitive-affective component of body image disturbance indicates that an exposure-based cognitive-behavioral body image intervention is a promising treatment module for overweight females with BED, but future research with a larger sample size is needed to quantify possible changes in all components of body image.
The Usefulness of Body Image Tests in the Prevention of Eating Disorders
Purpose：Individual psychological factors such as mental conditions and self-esteem and family relational factors are thought to be predisposing factors in the development of eating disorders. In this study, we conducted a survey of 12-15 year-old public junior high school students to extract factors related to abnormal eating behavior and determine what information could be used by schools to prevent eating disorders. Method: Self-descriptive surveys were distributed and collected during homeroom time at school. The survey consisted of the 26-item Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26) to measure the degree of abnormal eating behavior, Stunkard, Sorensen and Schlusinger's Body Image Scale to determine predisposing factors, the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale III (FACES III), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale. 483 students (263 boys and 220 girls) participated in the survey. School-year height and weight data was used to calculate BMI. Results: Approximately 7% of girls and 3% of boys showed clear indications of abnormal eating behavior. We found no direct relationship between abnormal eating behavior and family factors in this study, but an indirect relationship was suggested through other factors such as psychological complaints and self-esteem. There were relationships between abnormal eating behavior and the individual factors of psychological complaints, current and ideal body image, and low self-esteem. Furthermore, cluster analysis showed that there were students with high BMI who thought of themselves as fat, as well as students who perceived themselves as fat despite having average BMI. These students had a high frequency of abnormal eating behaviors, a great deal of psychological complaints, and low self-esteem. Discussion: An understanding of BMI, along with body image, is essential for students who feel that they are overweight. Schools can practice preventative education by teaching these students about healthy body weight and by screening for the eating disorders that have become so rampant in our thin-worshiping culture. The development of eating disorders has previously been attributed to predisposing biological factors such as serotonin dysfunction (Collier et al., 2) and genetic defects (Holland et al., 15). At the same time, there have been numerous reports about distorted body image and feelings of inadequacy (Bruch, 1), and psychological factors such as a depression and other mental illnesses (Erol et al., 8; Lorenzo et al., 19). Minuchin et al. (21) have also cited restrictive family factors such as overprotective or overly controlling parents who
International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2001
Objective: Weight-and shape-related self-evaluation refers to the process whereby an individual determines her self-worth based on an evaluation of her body weight and shape. This is a hallmark feature of both anorexia and bulimia nervosa, as specified in the 4th ed. of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The purpose of this study was to further our understanding of weight-related self-evaluation in eating-disordered women. Method: Eating-disordered patients, restrained eaters, and unrestrained eaters completed an experimenter-designed questionnaire that examines different dimensions of weightrelated self-evaluation (i.e., the Multidimensional Weight-Related Self-Evaluation Inventory). Results: Results revealed that weight-related self-evaluation is a feature shared, to some extent, by both eating-disordered patients and restrained eaters. However, eating-disordered patients extend weight-related self-evaluation to include more domains of self-esteem than did restrained eaters. Discussion: These findings support a multidimensional approach to weight-related self-evaluation and further our understanding of the process of weight-related self-evaluation in eating-disordered patients.