PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

D H Gleaves

Publications and source records attributed to D H Gleaves.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Assessing dissociative symptoms in eating disordered patients: construct validation of two self-report measures.

Dissociative symptomatology has been reported among patients with eating disorders, necessitating the availability of valid assessment instruments. In the current investigation, we examined the construct-related validity of two self-report instruments for assessing dissociative symptoms: the Dissociative Experiences Scale and the Trauma Symptom Checklist-40. The instruments were administered, along with instruments measuring depressive, anorexic, and bulimic symptomatology, to a sample of 125 eating disordered subjects. The dissociation measures demonstrated good convergent and discriminant validity, with a convergent validity coefficient (r = .73) that was approximately equal to that for the instruments measuring each of the three other psychological constructs. A principal components analysis further supported the construct-related validity of the dissociation scales. Severity of dissociative symptoms was generally unrelated to anorexic or bulimic symptomatology, but was significantly associated with depression. The results supported the construct validity of the dissociation instruments and the general status of dissociation as a valid and well-defined psychological phenomenon.

Adolescent↗

Body image, body dysphoria, and dietary restraint: factor structure in nonclinical subjects.

The principal aim of this study was to examine the factor structure of several assessment methods used to measure dietary restraint, body dissatisfaction, and body image. Factor analysis was employed to identify and confirm the primary constructs measured by these assessment methods. A total of 206 undergraduate women were recruited as subjects. This sample was divided into two subsets of 100 and 106 subjects. On the first subset, principle components analysis identified three factors: body dysphoria, dietary restraint, and body image. With the second subset of subjects, confirmatory factor analysis cross-validated this factor structure. A two factor solution, body dysphoria and dietary restraint, was identified and confirmed when the body image measure was converted to a self-minus-ideal discrepancy score. These findings are discussed in relation to the definition of control groups to be used in studies of anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Guidelines for the selection of measures for each of the three factors also are presented.

Adult↗

Clarifying body-image disturbance: analysis of a multidimensional model using structural modeling.

A multidimensional model of body-image disturbance was tested. The model incorporated the concepts of body-size distortion, preference for thinness, body dissatisfaction, and fear of fatness as predictors of restrictive eating. The LISREL 7 program was used to perform a structural modeling analysis of the theoretical model. A total of 175 women participated in the study (54 eating-disordered patients and 121 undergraduate students). The results supported the hypothesized four-dimensional model relative to alternative one-, two-, and three-dimensional models. Body dissatisfaction appeared to be directly affected by both body-size distortion and preference for thinness. Fear of fatness was found to be the best predictor of restrictive eating. The results appeared consistent across the clinical and nonclinical samples. These data may help resolve many of the current controversies in the body-image literature. The results also suggested the need to develop more sound assessment instruments for fear of fatness.

Journal Article↗

Sexual abuse histories among treatment-resistant bulimia nervosa patients.

Although cognitive behavior therapy has been found to be an effective treatment for bulimia nervosa, it has been noted that a subset of patients fail to engage in treatment. We examined the connection between a history of sexual abuse and symptoms suggestive of poor prognosis including a history of multiple therapists or hospitalizations, self-injury or suicide attempts, and alcohol or drug problems. Subjects were 464 bulimic women in treatment at a residential facility for women with eating disorders. Of the women with all of the indicators of poor prognosis, approximately 71% reported a history of sexual abuse. Of the women who reported none of the symptoms indicative of poor prognosis, only 15% reported a history of abuse, and none of these women reported recurrent abuse (greater than five times). We discuss the possible connections between previous treatment failures and histories of abuse and discuss the implications for successful case formulation and treatment.

Adult↗

An examination of the internal consistency and factor structure of the eating disorder inventory-2 in a clinical sample.

We examined the internal consistency and factor structure of the newly revised version of the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI), with particular emphasis on the examination of the three new provisional scales: Asceticism, Impulse Regulation, and Social Insecurity. Subjects were 300 women who were seeking treatment at a residential treatment facility for women with eating disorders. Chronbach's alphas ranged from .80 to .91 for the eight original scales whereas coefficients for the three new scales were all less than .80, the criterion stated as being necessary for inclusion in the test. Item-total correlations were also substantially lower for the three new scales. The results of principal components analyses with orthogonal rotation supported the factor structure of the original 64-item EDI, but not the three additional scales. These data generally supported the reliability and factor structure of the original eight scales but did not support the reliability or validity of the three provisional scales.

Adolescent↗

Confirmatory factor analysis of a multidimensional model of bulimia nervosa.

In a recent investigation of the psychopathology of bulimia nervosa by Tobin, Johnson, Steinberg, Staats, and Dennis (1991), a multidimensional model for bulimia nervosa was presented, based on the results of an exploratory factor analysis. In the present investigation, these results and the multidimensional model were tested by means of confirmatory factor analysis with 100 women diagnosed as having bulimia nervosa. The results not only support the multidimensional model with the higher order dimensions Affective and Personality Disorder, Bulimic Behaviors, and Restricting Behaviors, but also demonstrate the importance of body dissatisfaction as a significant, and possibly independent, component of bulimia nervosa.

Adult↗

Equivalence of body image disturbances in anorexia and bulimia nervosa.

A silhouette method, the Body Image Assessment, was used to measure self-evaluation of current and ideal body size in three groups: Ss with with anorexia nervosa (n = 37), Ss with bulimia nervosa (n = 59), and normal control Ss (n = 95). Current and ideal body size measures were contrasted across the three groups using body mass index as a covariate to control for the Ss actual body size. Both eating disorder groups judged current body size to be larger and ideal body size to be thinner relative to control Ss. When actual body size was not statistically controlled, Ss with anorexia nervosa judged current body size to be thinner than did control Ss and Ss with bulimia nervosa. These data illustrate the importance of controlling for actual body size when investigating the self-evaluation of body size.

Adult↗

Bulimia nervosa symptomatology and body image disturbance associated with distance running and weight loss.

To investigate the hypothesis that problems characteristic of eating disorders may often be associated with distance running, 20 women who had lost weight through distance running were compared with a control group who did not exercise and had not lost weight and a comparison group of bulimia nervosa patients. Dependent variables were measures of depression, bulimia nervosa symptomatology, and body image disturbance. No differences were found between the runner group and the normal controls. Bulimics differed from runners and controls on most measures. Thus, the results did not support the proposition that weight loss through running leads to problems related to eating and body image. The failure to find disturbances in body image in runners suggests that body image disturbances are not a direct result of weight loss, as suggested by some theorists.

Body Image↗

Correlates of dissociative symptoms among women with eating disorders.

We examined the relationship between dissociative symptoms and other Axis I and Axis II symptoms among a sample of 53 women diagnosed as having anorexia nervosa (n = 18), bulimia nervosa (n = 27), or eating disorder NOS (n = 8). Dissociative symptoms were measured by the Dissociative Experiences Scale and the dissociation scale from the Trauma Symptom Checklist 40. Severity of dissociative symptoms was generally unrelated to severity of bulimic or anorexic symptomatology but was significantly associated with severity of anxiety and depression. In terms of Axis II symptoms, dissociative symptoms were most highly correlated with schizotypal symptomatology (r = .59), uncorrelated with borderline or antisocial symptomatology, and slightly negatively correlated with histrionic symptomatology.

Adolescent↗

Additive effects of mood and eating forbidden foods upon the perceptions of overeating and binging in bulimia nervosa.

We examined the relationship between actual caloric intake and subjective perceptions of amount eaten using self-monitoring data. Forty subjects participated in the study: 20 bulimia nervosa patients and 20 normal controls. All subjects monitored their eating for a 2-week period and rated each eating episode on a Likert-type scale ranging from an undereat to a binge. Estimates of actual caloric intake were compared with these subjective ratings. Bulimics were found to overrate the amount consumed, relative to controls. The effect increased as caloric intake increased. Bulimics' ratings of amount eaten and binging were found to be predicted by the estimate of the actual amount eaten, the type of foods eaten, and the subjects' mood prior to eating, while nonbulimics' ratings were predicted only by the estimated actual amount. Subjective ratings of amount were found to be the best predictor of purgative activity. The results are discussed in terms of a perceptual bias theory, treatment implications, and possible revisions to the current DSM criteria for bulimia nervosa.

Affect↗