Coping styles differ between recovered and nonrecovered women with bulimia nervosa, but not between recovered women and non-eating-disordered control subjects.

We examined potential differences in dispositional coping styles among women who had recovered from DSM-III-R bulimia nervosa (RBN; N = 40), women actively suffering from the disorder (N = 40), and women with no history of eating disturbance (control; N = 40). Using a 60-item self-report measure, we found that women with active bulimia nervosa were less likely than the other two groups to utilize active coping, planning, and seeking emotional support, and less likely than the recovering bulimia nervosa group to focus on and vent emotions. They were more likely than control subjects to use behavioral disengagement. On none of the scales did recovered women differ significantly from control subjects. Our findings suggest that the characteristic coping styles of women who have recovered from bulimia nervosa are as adaptive as those with no history of eating disorder, whereas women who are actively bulimic manifest fewer adaptive and more maladaptive coping behaviors.