Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Semester of Degree Completion

1997

Thesis Director

Genie O. Lenihan

Abstract

Although many factors may contribute to the etiology of bulimia (Killian, 1994; Root et al., 1986; Striegel-Moore et al., 1986; Weiss et al., 1994), only a few factors differentiate between individuals who will or will not develop bulimia nervosa. There is a need to further explore and narrow the determinants of bulimia nervosa in order to develop a universal model to understand and treat the disorder. This study investigates the extent that childhood mealtime experiences and father's parenting style contribute to the manifestation of bulimic symptoms. The Bulimia Test-Revised (Thelen & Farmer, 1991) is used to classify 146 college-age females and 22 eating disordered patients along a continuum of bulimic symptoms. To measure perceived childhood mealtime experiences and the degree of care and protection received from their fathers, participants completed the Childhood Family Mealtime Questionnaire (CFMQ) (Miller 1989, 1993) and the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) (Parker et al., 1979).

Nine of the eating disorder patients (40.9%) and five of the college students (3.4%) scored within the diagnosable range of bulimia nervosa. The extent to which one exhibits bulimic symptoms correlated significantly with the participants' perceptions that their fathers were rejecting and overprotective. That is, young women with bulimic symptoms perceived their fathers as both less caring and more controlling. In addition, the extent to which one exhibits bulimic symptoms correlated significantly with the following childhood mealtime measures: General Stress, Weight and Health, Importance of Food and Meals, and Food Specific Stress. More specifically, it was found that among the therapy group of bulimics (n = 9), bulimic symptoms were significantly correlated with Food Specific Stress. In predicting bulimic symptoms, the best one-variable risk model is childhood mealtime experiences. Further exploration indicated that subscales of the CFMQ were significantly intercorrelated; therefore, further multiple regression analyses were inappropriate. Recommendations were made for refining the CFMQ and using it with other populations, such as anorexic and substance abuse disorders. This study's findings support the hypothesis that bulimic symptoms are arranged along a continuum and recommendations are made accordingly. Implications are discussed for understanding, preventing, and treating bulimia.

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