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Underlying assumptions and core beliefs in anorexia nervosa and dieting
1Isis Education Centre, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK. myra.cooper@oxmhc-tr.anglox.nhs.uk
Objective:
To investigate assumptions and beliefs in anorexia nervosa and dieting.
Design And Method:
The Eating Disorder Belief Questionnaire (EDBQ), was administered to patients with anorexia nervosa, dieters and female controls.
Results:
The patients scored more highly than the other two groups on assumptions about weight and shape, assumptions about eating and negative self-beliefs. The dieters scored more highly than the female controls on assumptions about weight and shape.
Conclusions:
The cognitive content of anorexia nervosa (both assumptions and negative self-beliefs) differs from that found in dieting. Assumptions about weight and shape may also distinguish dieters from female controls.