Gleaves D H, Lowe M R, Snow A C, Green B A, Murphy-Eberenz K P
Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station 77842-4235, USA.
J Abnorm Psychol. 2000 Feb;109(1):56-68. doi: 10.1037//0021-843x.109.1.56.
Past research evaluating the continuity and discontinuity models of bulimia has produced inconclusive results. In the current study, we performed a taxometric analysis of bulimia nervosa using means above minus below a sliding cut and maximum covariance analysis with a sample of women diagnosed with bulimia nervosa (n = 201) or women college students (n = 412). Indicators were derived from the Bulimia Test--Revised and the Eating Attitudes Test--26, and both a mixed sample and the nonclinical sample were analyzed. With both taxometric methods and both mixed and nonclinical samples, results were consistently suggestive of a latent taxon for bulimia. These results challenge a dimensional model of bulimia nervosa.
