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Symptoms predicting psychosocial impairment in bulimia nervosa

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Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The current study aimed to determine which particular eating disorder (ED) symptoms and related features, such as BMI and psychological distress, uniquely predict impairment in bulimia nervosa (BN).

Methods

Two hundred and twenty-two adults with BN completed questionnaires assessing ED symptoms, general psychological distress, and psychosocial impairment. Regression analyses were used to determine predictors which account for variance in impairment.

Results

Four variables emerged as significant predictors of psychosocial impairment: concerns with eating; concerns with weight and shape; dietary restraint; and general psychological distress.

Conclusions

Findings support previous work highlighting the importance of weight and shape concerns in determining ED-related impairment. Other ED symptoms, notably dietary restraint and concerns with eating, were also significant predictors as was psychological distress. Results suggest that cognitive aspects of EDs, in addition to psychological distress, may be more important determinants of impairment than behavioural symptoms, such as binge eating or purging.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cotswold House Eating Disorders Service, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK

    Paul E. Jenkins & Jessica Staniford

  2. School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK

    Paul E. Jenkins

  3. Buckinghamshire Community Eating Disorders Service, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Aylesbury, UK

    Jessica Staniford & Amy Luck

Authors
  1. Paul E. Jenkins
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  2. Jessica Staniford
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  3. Amy Luck
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paul E. Jenkins.

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Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

Relevant ethical standards were considered in the conduct of this research, which was approved by the local NHS Trust Research and Development, who noted that further review was not required.

Informed consent

Informed consent was not sought as this study considered collation of retrospective, routinely-collected data.

Funding

This study received no external funding.

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Jenkins, P.E., Staniford, J. & Luck, A. Symptoms predicting psychosocial impairment in bulimia nervosa. Eat Weight Disord 23, 665–671 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-017-0397-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-017-0397-6

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