The Bulimia Test was revised (BULIT-R) to accommodate the DSM-III-R criteria of bulimia nervosa. A 28-item, self-report, multiple-choice scale was developed by comparing responses of clinically identified female bulimics with those of female college students. Cross-validation was performed on independent samples of bulimic and college control subjects. The BULIT-R was a good predictor of group membership. The scale was then completed by female college students, and a stratified sample of these subjects was retested and interviewed approximately 2 months later. The results of retesting and diagnostic judgments based on interviews showed that the BULIT-R was a reliable and valid predictor of bulimia nervosa in a nonclinical population. The BULIT-R correlated highly with 2 other measures of bulimia, indicating a high degree of construct validity.

Two independent studies showed the Fear-of-Intimacy Scale (FIS) to be a valid and reliable measure of individuals' anxiety about close, dating relationships. Item-total analyses yielded a 35-item scale with high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Construct validity was established by factor analysis and significant correlations. The FIS correlated positively with a loneliness measure; it correlated negatively with self-disclosure, social intimacy, and social desirability measures. These relations were maintained when partial correlations were conducted to control for social desirability. Subjects 1 FIS scores were significantly related to self-report data (e.g,, subjects with higher scores reported briefer relationships) and positively related to therapists ratings about clients' fear of intimacy. It was also found that androgynous subjects had less fear of intimacy than masculine and undifferentiated subjects. The FIS holds promise for use in the assessment of clinical populations and for use as a research instrument.

Clinical work and research on bulimia have been hampered by the lack of an appropriate scale with which to assess the symptoms. The Bulimia Test (BULIT), a 32-item, self-report, multiple-choice scale, was developed to meet this need. The BULIT was constructed by comparing responses of clinically identified female bulimic subjects with normal female college students on 75 preliminary test items, which were based on criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-HI; American Psychiatric Association, 1980) for bulimia. Cross-validation was performed on independent samples of bulimic and normal control subjects. The BULIT was a good predictor of group membership for both initial and replication samples. The scale was then administered to female college students, and a stratified sample of these subjects was retested and interviewed several weeks later. Results of retesting and judgments of diagnostic interviews showed that the BULIT was a reliable and valid predictor of bulimia in a nonclinical population. The BULIT correlated highly with another measure of bulimia, indicating a high degree of construct validity. A lower correlation with a measure of anorexia nervosa suggests that bulimia and anorexia nervosa represent overlapping, but not identical, syndromes.This article is based on a master's thesis submitted by Marcia C. Smith to the University of Missouri-Columbia. The authors are grateful to the reviewers for their constructive comments.Requests for reprints should be sent to

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Distress and professional impairment among psychologists in clinical practice can adversely affect the process of psychotherapy. In this study, 522 practicing psychologists (52.2%) completed a mail survey on distress and impairment. Various life events and work factors were associated with different amounts of distress and impairment, with personal relationship problems and work with difficult clients being particularly troublesome. Respondents who experienced a greater number of life events/ work factors also reported greater distress and impairment. Very high positive correlations emerged between distress and impairment for both life events and work factors. Non-work-related activities and periodic vacations were the most frequently reported preventive behaviors.