Sexual abuse in eating disorder subtypes and control women: The role of comorbid substance dependence in bulimia nervosa

• Published in: The International journal of eating disorders Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 1 - 10
• Main Authors: Deep, Amy L., Lilenfeld, Lisa R., Plotnicov, Katherine H., Pollice, Christine, Kaye, Walter H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.01.1999; Wiley; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; Bulimia; Child; Child Abuse, Sexual - psychology; Comorbidity; Drug use; Eating behavior disorders; eating disorder subtypes; Eating disorders; Feeding and Eating Disorders - classification; Feeding and Eating Disorders - etiology; Feeding and Eating Disorders - psychology; Female; Humans; Medical sciences; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Risk Factors; Sex crimes; Sexual abuse; substance dependence; Substance-Related Disorders - complications; Substance-Related Disorders - psychology; Women; Bulimia; Human; Drug addiction; Concomitant disease; Alcoholism; Risk factor; Female; Sexual abuse; Eating disorder; Victimology; Antecedent
• ISSN: 0276-3478; 1098-108X
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1098-108X(199901)25:1<1::AID-EAT1>3.0.CO;2-R

Objective The relationship between sexual abuse and eating disorders remains uncertain. Recent data have raised the possibility of differential rates of sexual abuse among subtypes of eating disorders. Methods We studied women with three subtypes of eating disorders: (1) 26 anorexia nervosa subjects (AN); (2) 20 bulimia nervosa subjects with comorbid substance dependence (BN+SDD); and (3) 27 bulimia nervosa subjects without substance dependence (BN−SDD). We compared women with these eating disorder subtypes to 44 control women (CW). Sexual abuse rates and diagnoses were assessed through direct structured interviews. Results We found an order effect for sexual abuse which was most common (65%) in BN+SDD subjects, followed by a rate of 37% in BN−SDD subjects and 23% in AN subjects. Subjects of all eating disorder subtypes had significantly higher rates of sexual abuse compared to a rate of 7% in CW subjects. Discussion Women with BN+SDD had the highest frequency and the most severe history of sexual abuse. However, the causal relationship between eating disorders and sexual abuse remains to be elucidated. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 25:1–10, 1999.