Are there differences in the attitudinal body image between adolescent anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa?
OBJECTIVE: Body image dissatisfaction is as well a risk factor for eating disorders (ED) and a central feature of ED. The exact nature of body image in adolescent ED is still debated. This study examined attitudinal body image in adolescent anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN), and the association of age, maturational timing, duration of eating disorder, actual weight and general psychological distress with the attitudinal body image in ED. METHODS: The study group consisted of an outpatient clinical sample of adolescents attending for assessment because of eating disorders. The attitudinal body image of 57 adolescents (girls) aged 14-21 years was studied at the beginning of the treatment. The attitudes to body shape, body size, appearance, tone and femininity were studied by a Likert format scale and by the body dissatisfaction (BD) and drive for thinness scales (DT) from EDI-2 inventory. RESULTS: Bulimics reported more body image dissatisfaction than anorectics. In multivar
