We designed this study to replicate previous findings which suggest a relationship between the qualities found in family environments and specific eating disorders through the examination of subjects' reports of family environments. We also attempted to refine previous findings of such relationships by adding an additional psychiatric contrast group. Subjects included patients with the following diagnoses: (1) Anorexia nervosa, restrictor type; (2) anorexia nervosa with bulimic features; (3) normal weight bulimia; and, as a psychiatric control population (4) major depression. In contrast to previous findings, subjects in each diagnostic group do not differ statistically either from each other or from a normative population with regard to reported family environments. However, when we grouped subjects by self‐reported level of depression, those with a high level of depression described family environments that are significantly different, independent of the severity of illnesses or diagnoses. We discuss the use of self‐report instruments in measuring such complex phenomena as family environment. © 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
This study investigated whether patterns of late adolescent separation‐individuation from parents, as measured by the Psychological Separation Inventory (PSI), are different for anorexiclike and bulimic‐like young women in college. It was hypothesized that anorexic‐like women would display a pattern of underseparation from both mother and father. Bulimic‐like women were expected to show a pattern of underseparation on the conflictual dimension of the PSI but overseparation on the other dimensions. A total of 798 college women completed the PSI, the Eating Disorder Inventory, and a DSM‐III‐R symptom checklist. Using that checklist, 19 women were classified as bulimic‐like (BUN), 8 as like restricting anorexics (RAN), 11 as showing a pattern resembling both bulimia and restricting anorexia (BULAN), 109 as showing limited bulimic or anorexic behaviors (SOME), and 25 as having no eating disorder symptoms (NED). Results indicated some support for the hypotheses. BUN women were overseparated in terms of attitudinal independence from both parents and underseparated in that they experienced more guilt and conflict concerning separation than did the SOME or NED women. The anorexic‐like women reported considerable guilt and conflict about separation and tended to be underseparated in general. The results point to the potential value of separation‐individuation issues in the distinction between restricting anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. © 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.