Sexual abuse in eating disorder subtypes and control women: The role of comorbid substance dependence in bulimia nervosa

✍ Scribed by Deep, Amy L. ;Lilenfeld, Lisa R. ;Plotnicov, Katherine H. ;Pollice, Christine ;Kaye, Walter H.

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 145 KB
• Volume: 25
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0276-3478
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199901)25:1<1::aid-eat1>3.0.co;2-r

✦ Synopsis

Objective:

The relationship between sexual abuse and eating disorders remains uncertain. recent data have raised the possibility of differential rates of sexual abuse among subtypes of eating disorders.

Methods:

We studied women with three subtypes of eating disorders: (1) 26 anorexia nervosa subjects (an); (2) 20 bulimia nervosa subjects with comorbid substance dependence (bn + sdd); and (3) 27 bulimia nervosa subjects without substance dependence (bn - sdd). we compared women with these eating disorder subtypes to 44 control women (cw). sexual abuse rates and diagnoses were assessed through direct structured interviews.

Results:

We found an order effect for sexual abuse which was most common (65%) in bn + sdd subjects, followed by a rate of 37% in bn - sdd subjects and 23% in an subjects. subjects of all eating disorder subtypes had significantly higher rates of sexual abuse compared to a rate of 7% in cw subjects.

Discussion:

Women with bn + sdd had the highest frequency and the most severe history of sexual abuse. however, the causal relationship between eating disorders and sexual abuse remains to be elucidated.