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Abstract
Forty-one women who had been diagnosed as bulimic in several Midwestern eating disorders programs were matched on the basis of age and socio-economic level with a control group of normal women (n = 43). The women were evaluated on the following scales: Family Environment Scale, Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale II, Body Cathexis-Self Cathexis Test, and the Attributional Style Questionnaire. Ten variables were entered in a discriminant analysis to test them as predictors of group membership.
A discriminant analysis that used a stepwise selection criterion included four independent variables in the prediction equation, Self Cathexis, Attributional Style, Family Cohesion, and Family Achievement Orientation. The percent of cases correctly classified was 84.5. Six of the ten independent variables were either not powerful enough to discriminate between the two groups or were measuring some of the same constructs as the four variables used in the model.
Overall, it was found that the families of the bulimic women were perceived to be less cohesive and more oriented toward achievement than families of the nonbulimic women. Bulimic women scored significantly lower on the Self Cathexis Test indicating less satisfaction with themselves. Finally, they demonstrated a style of making attributions that was significantly more internal, stable, and global for bad events than did their normal counterparts.
