Development and validation of a test for bulimia.

Smith, Mikel D.; Thelen, Mark H.

doi:10.1037/0022-006x.52.5.863

Cited by 280 publications

(201 citation statements)

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“…The 36-item Bulimia Test (BULIT; Smith & Thelen, 1984) assesses bingeing behaviors, purging behaviors, feelings following eating binges, types of food preferred during binges and weight fluctuations. This test asks about the participant's eating patterns (e.g., "My eating patterns are different from the eating patterns of most people"), their feelings towards eating (e.g., "I feel sad or blue after eating more than I had planned to eat"), and This is an author-produced, peer-reviewed version of this article.…”

Section: Body Image Investmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further research should investigate whether these findings hold in a more diverse sample. Second, we used the BULIT (Smith & Thelen, 1984) instead of the BULIT-R (Thelen, Farmer, Wonderlich, & Smith, 1991) because it had more use and support as a valid measure of bulimic symptoms in men than did newer versions of the BULIT. Results may differ with use of the BULIT-R. Future research may wish to utilize patients with clinically diagnosable bulimia nervosa to better investigate the factors that influence bulimic symptomology.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Do body image investment and evaluation relate to bulimic symptoms in U.S. collegiate men and women in the same way?

Pritchard

2014

Psychology of Men & Masculinity

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Although research suggests that body image investment (i.e., drive for muscularity, orientation toward appearance, preoccupation with weight or weight gain) and body image evaluation factors (e.g., negative evaluations of appearance, overestimation of current weight) correlate with bulimic symptoms, the magnitude of these relationships may differ between men and women. The relationship between bulimic symptoms and the drive for muscularity, one form of body image investment theorized to be particularly relevant to men, is understudied in college students. This study examined bulimic symptoms, body image investment, and body image evaluation in American undergraduate students (84 men, 198 women). Bulimic symptoms were negatively associated with appearance evaluation and positively associated with appearance orientation, weight preoccupation and weight overestimation in both men and women. Bulimic symptoms were positively associated with the drive for muscularity in men, but not in women. Awareness of the relationships between bulimic symptoms and body image investment and evaluation may help identify those at risk for bulimic symptoms.Keywords: sex, bulimic symptoms, the drive for muscularity, body image investment, body image evaluation Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviors such as purging, fasting, the use of laxatives, enemas, diuretics, and over exercising to burn excess calories (American Psychiatric Association, APA, 2000). Bulimia nervosa can lead to a variety of health risks, including damage to dental enamel and gum tissue (Mehler, 2011;Pomery & Mitchell, 2001), gastro-intestinal problems (Mehler, 2011;Pomery & Mitchell, 2001), and death (Crow et al., 2009). Although eating disorders have long been perceived to occur primarily in women, 10-20% of all patients with bulimia nervosa are men (Joiner, Katz, & Heatherton, 2000;Jones & Morgan, 2010).Research on men with bulimia nervosa is sparse; however, recent studies indicate the number of men suffering from the disorder may be greater than previously thought (Herpertz, Kocnar, & Senf, 1997;Jones & Morgan, 2010). This may be due to changes in the perception that eating disorders only affect women (Herpertz et al., 1997;Jones & Morgan, 2010) and homosexual men (Jones & Morgan, 2010), or an actual increase in the number of men who are suffering from eating disorders (Morgan, 2009). Regardless, the number of men who are dissatisfied with their bodies and are taking steps to reduce their dissatisfaction is increasing (Morgan, 2009;Ryan & Morrison, 2009).When assessing body image, researchers typically focus on two dimensions: body image investment and body image evaluation (Cash, Melnyk, & Hrabosky, 2004). Body image investment reflects the degree of cognitive and behavioral importance that someone assigns to his or her body and appearance, whereas body image evaluation is a person's satisfaction or dissatisfaction with his or her appearance (Cash et al., 2004). Research suggests...

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Section: Body Image Investmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Do body image investment and evaluation relate to bulimic symptoms in U.S. collegiate men and women in the same way?

Pritchard

2014

Psychology of Men & Masculinity

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“…(10), Beck Depression Inventory (BD!) (6), Bulimia Test (BULIT) (42), and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (lIP) (29) were employed, while in sample 2 measures included the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90-R) (14) and the Binge Eating Scale (BES) (24). Different measures were employed for both samples to determine the generalizability and replicability of results across alternate measures of psychopathology.…”

Section: Psychological Testsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Association of Maternal Psychopathology and Family Socioeconomic Status with Psychological Problems in Obese Children

1996

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EPSTEIN, LEONARD H, MICHELLE D MYERS,KATARINA ANDERSON. The association of maternal psychopathology and family socioeconomic status with psychological problems in obese children. Obes Res, 1996;4:65-74. In an earlier study we found parental psychiatric symptoms to be a better correlate of behavioral problems in obese children than either child or parental obesity. This study sought to extend this research by assessing the association of general maternal distress, specific maternal psychopathology, family socioeconomic status and child obesity with the psychological problems of 152 children seeking treatment for obesity in two cohorts. Child psychological problems were measured using the Child Behavior Checklist/4-18 (CBCL) in each cohort. In sample 1 maternal general psychiatric symptoms were measured using the Cornell Medical Index (psychiatric subscales) and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems whereas specific psychopathology was assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory and the Bulimia Test. In sample 2 the Symptom Checklist-90 and Binge Eating Scale provided general and specific measures of psychopathology. In the combined sample, 58% percent of the boys and 44 % of the girls met criteria on at least one CBCL behavioral problem scale, with Social Problems the most prevalent problem in both boys and girls. For both samples, child obesity did not account for any variance in child psychosocial problems beyond that accounted for by maternal psychopathology and family SES. Family SES accounted for a significant increment in variance in child behavioral problems in only two scales. This study systematically replicates previous research, adding support for a broader conceptualization of factors that influence psychological problems in obese treatment-seeking children than one which focuses on child obesity.

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“…Several scales have been proposed for the study of disordered eating (1)(2)(3)(4)(5) including the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-40), developed for the early detection of anorexia nervosa by Garner and Garfinkel in 1979 (6).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The validity and 4-year test-retest reliability of the Brazilian version of the Eating Attitudes Test-26

Nunes

Camey

Olinto

et al. 2005

Braz J Med Biol Res

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In a cross-sectional study conducted four years ago to assess the validity of the Brazilian version of the Eating Attitudes for the identification of abnormal eating behaviors in a population of young females in Southern Brazil, 56 women presented abnormal eating behavior as indicated by the EAT-26 and the Edinburgh Bulimic Investigation Test. They were each matched for age and neighborhood to two normal controls (N = 112) and were re-assessed four years later with the two screening questionnaires plus the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). The EAT results were then compared to diagnoses originating from the CIDI. To evaluate the temporal stability of the two screening questionnaires, a test-retest design was applied to estimate kappa coefficients for individual items. Given the prevalence of eating disorders of 6.2%, the CIDI psychiatry interview was applied to 161 women. Of these, 0.6% exhibited anorexia nervosa and 5.6%, bulimia nervosa (10 positive cases). The validity coefficients of the EAT were: 40% sensitivity, 84% specificity, and 14% positive predictive value. Cronbach's coefficient was 0.75. For each EAT item, the kappa index was not higher than 0.344 and the correlation coefficient was lower than 0.488. We conclude that the EAT-26 exhibited low validity coefficients for sensitivity and positive predictive value, and showed a poor temporal stability. It is reasonable to assume that these results were not influenced by the low prevalence of eating disorders in the community. Thus, the results cast doubts on the ability of the EAT-26 test to identify cases of abnormal eating behaviors in this population.

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Development and validation of a test for bulimia.

Cited by 280 publications

References 8 publications

Do body image investment and evaluation relate to bulimic symptoms in U.S. collegiate men and women in the same way?

Do body image investment and evaluation relate to bulimic symptoms in U.S. collegiate men and women in the same way?

The Association of Maternal Psychopathology and Family Socioeconomic Status with Psychological Problems in Obese Children

The validity and 4-year test-retest reliability of the Brazilian version of the Eating Attitudes Test-26

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