Objective: This study estimated rates of bulimia nervosa and binge eating, and assessed risk factors among 203 lesbians. Method: Participants completed questionnaires containing measures addressing lifestyle, self-esteem, body esteem, attitudes about attractiveness, and disordered eating. Results: The rate of bulimia nervosa among lesbians was similar to that of heterosexual women, but binge eating disorder was more frequent. Eating as negative affect regulation was a more significant predictor of binge eating than body dissatisfaction or dieting. Lesbians were not significantly different from heterosexual women in attitudes concerning weight and appearance, or dieting. Self-esteem was significantly related to body esteem, and actual-ideal weight discrepancy was associated with body dissatisfaction, suggesting that lesbians are not immune from the effects of not meeting societal ideals of thinness. Increased lesbianlgay involvement was associated with lower weight concern. Discussion: Implications for models of risk for eating disorders, and understanding the experience of lesbians, are discussed. 0 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Sociocultural variables have consistently emerged as important mediators of risk for bulimia nervosa. Girls in our society are socialized to evaluate themselves in terms of their appearance, and increasingly thin ideals of female beauty have been hypothesized to lay the groundwork for poor body esteem, and for dieting and other behaviors that may lead to bulimia nervosa. It has been argued that "women at greatest risk . . . should be those who have accepted and internalized most deeply the sociocultural mores about thinness and attractiveness" (Striegel-Moore, Silberstein, & Rodin, 1986, p. 247). If this is the case, being less invested in such ideals may constitute a protective factor. The present study examines attitudes and behaviors related to eating disorders among lesbians, who are said to put less emphasis on physical appearance than their larger, at-risk gender group.
There are no data concerning the prevalence of bulimia nervosa among lesbians.