Diagnostic practices utilized in studies of participants with Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge-Eating Disorder were investigated. A reliable coding system was used by two reviewers to analyze the diagnostic documentation practices in articles from the top-thirty most cited articles for each diagnostic category. Interrater agreements were all above .95. Results showed that many important diagnostic practices and criteria are either not being employed or not being documented. Uniform reporting procedures are necessary to help readers know how each article’s sampling procedure and subject pool differs from other samples used in the literature. Researchers reported the most details about sample characteristics with the recently proposed Binge-Eating Disorder category. Discussion focuses on identifying the specific diagnostic and sampling procedures deserving better documentation in the eating disorder literatures.

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According to the biopsychosocial model of bulimia, neurobiological mechanisms called endophenotypes cause eating disordered behavior. Impulsivity has been identified as a possible endophenotype for bulimia nervosa, and individuals with bulimia who present with multiple forms of impulsive behavior are known to have worse prognoses. Executive dysfunction in impulse control purportedly manifests as behavioral under-regulation in binge-purge episodes. Neuropsychological assessments were used to analyze the relationship between impulsivity and symptoms of bulimia. Twenty-eight inpatient adolescent and young adult women with bulimia completed the D-KEFS Color Word Task, which is a version of the Stroop that contains four trials including the classic Stroop and a switching Stroop, as well as the age appropriate versions of the BRIEF rating scale and a Type-T Survey of thrill-seeking. Performance on these measures was correlated with measures of bulimia symptoms, including the EDI-3, EDE-Q, and variables of illness severity. Delay of gratification was assessed by offering subjects a choice of compensation that was either immediate and smaller or delayed and larger. Mixed results were found. The sample did not differ from the D-KEFS normative sample on total number of errors or on speed of task completion for the switching Stroop, and the sample demonstrated faster performance than the normative sample on the classic Stroop. However, a tendency to favor speed over accuracy of performance was identified. On the BRIEF rating scales, the sample self-reported significantly higher rates of executive dysfunction compared to the normative data. Additionally, some variables of impulsivity, including greater frequency of errors on cognitive tasks and self-reported deficits of executive functioning, were significantly correlated with variables of bulimia symptom severity, including self-reported bulimia symptomatology on the EDI-3 and frequency of bingeing and purgeing. Risk-taking was also found to be correlated with symptoms of bulimia. Differences were found between subjects who chose the immediate prize versus those who chose the delayed prize, including differences in cognitive task performance and symptom severity. Differences were also found for subjects with a comorbid disorder of impulse control, including bipolar disorders and substance abuse. In conclusion, a unilateral deficit of impulse control was not found to be characteristic of this sample; however, a multi-impulsive cohort was identified as having deficits of cognitive impulse control. / School Psychology

The purpose of this dissertation is to identify the variables associated with abstinence from binge-eating disorder and Bulimia Nervosa in the twelve-step recovery program of Overeaters Anonymous. The data were gathered through the completion of a survey by 231 active members of Overeaters Anonymous in the Washington metropolitan area. In addition to assessing the demographic composition of the aforementioned population, the variables that were assessed comprise the 'tools' of Overeaters Anonymous. They include: attendance at OA meetings, reading/writing from the Twelve Step literature, adhering to a food plan, having a sponsor, giving service, taking time for prayer and meditation, and making phone calls to other members. The activities of binge eating and bulimic participants were also examined to determine whether or not statistically significant differences exist between these two populations. Results revealed the typical OA participant to be a college educated (80%), Caucasian (89%) female (84%), between the ages of 34 and 44 (30%), married or living with a partner (44%), and employed in a full-time capacity (71%). Eight-four percent of the respondents were binge eaters, 15% were bulimic, and 1% anorexic. Multiple regression analyses revealed longer lengths of involvement in OA, a decrease in the frequency of relapse or 'slips', performing service, greater attendance at meetings, and progress on the ninth step, to be predictors of abstinence at the .05 level of significance. A lower frequency of relapse was predicted by longer lengths of involvement in OA, greater adherence to a food plan, increased frequency of phone calls to other members, and more time spent writing about one's thoughts and feelings at the .05 level of significance. Lastly, Independent Sample t-tests revealed bulimics to have significantly longer mean lengths of abstinence than did binge eaters. Alternately, the difference in the frequency of relapse or 'slips' between the two populations was not significant, suggesting that both bulimics and binge eaters have a comparable likelihood to relapse or slip back into eating disordered behaviors. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study was to use the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI), Negative Addiction Scale (NAS) and other measured characteristics to determine differences between consistent runners and sedentary controls. 38 male and 23 female local non-team related runners of more than 9 miles per week were studied. They completed the EDI and NAS. 31 male and 30 female nonexercisers completed the EDI. They were drawn from college classes and participated in less than one hour per week of physical activity. Height, weight and body fat were determined for both groups. As compared with anorectics, none of the EDI subscale averages for runners or controls were higher than the 38th percentile. Body dissatisfaction was less for runners than controls. Females scored higher on drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction. Female runners scored significantly higher on drive for thinness than all other groups. The mean NAS score was 78 for the females and 74 for the males. Significant body dissatisfaction subscale differences found between runners and controls were probably due to the runners' lower body fat and weight. In looking at the male/female differences, females typically have a stronger concern about weight and are less satisfied with their bodies. It is believed that in the group of runners studied, severe eating disorders did not exist. / Master of Science