Eating attitudes and behaviors of anorexia nervosa patients and their sisters.

Although the sisters of anorexia nervosa patients may have an increased risk for this disorder, there are no controlled studies of the eating patterns and attitudes of the normal sisters of anorexic patients. Twenty-one sister pairs (anorexics and their normal sisters) were interviewed and given the Eating Attitude Test (EAT) to compare their eating attitudes and behaviors. The mean scores on the EAT and its three subscales (measuring "Dieting," "Bulimia and Food Preoccupation," and "Oral Control") were significantly correlated with criterion group membership (p less than 0.0001). The normal sisters as a group did not demonstrate anorexic eating attitudes. However, two normal sisters did score in the anorexic range and are being followed prospectively. The EAT questionnaire could be used to screen vulnerable siblings of patients with anorexia nervosa for early signs of this disorder.