A method for the assessment of body image disturbance in patients with eating disorders

Abstract

This paper describes a new method for assessing body image disturbances in eating disordered patients. Fifteen bulimic, 25 anorexic, and 24 normal controls served as subjects. All subjects were matched for age and height, and bulimics and controls were matched for weight as well. All subjects completed the Perceived Body Image Scale (PBIS), which required subjects to report on how they see themselves when they look in the mirror, how they think they look, and how they feel themselves to be, reflecting the perceptual, cognitive, and affective aspects of body image, respectively. Subjects also selected their ideal. An objective rating was made. Objective ratings had a high correlation with the subject's weight. Results showed that both eating disorder groups demonstrated more apparent body image disturbance than controls, and that the bulimics showed significantly greater body image dissatisfaction than anorexics or controls. The potential use of the PBIS as a research and clinical instrument is discussed.