Body-image disturbances in bulimia nervosa: influences of actual body size

Abstract

This study evaluated body-image distortion and ideal body-size preferences in 423 nonbulimic women and 108 bulimics. Analyses of covariance were utilized to compare the bulimic and nonbulimic groups on measures of current and ideal body size. Weight was used as a covariate to evaluate the influence of actual body size on perception of current body size and selection of ideal body size. Bulimics chose current body sizes that were significantly larger than those picked by nonbulimics regardless of actual body size. Bulimics also chose thinner ideal body sizes than did nonbulimics, regardless of actual body size. These results suggest that body-image distortion and extreme preference for thinness are a fundamental characteristic of bulimia nervosa. These results were discussed in terms of how perception of a large body size and preference for a very thin body size might interact to produce a high degree of dissatisfaction and overconcern with body size in bulimia nervosa.