Stealing behavior in eating disorders: characteristics and associated psychopathology

The objective of the study was to identify, in detail, the characteristics of stealing behavior and eventual associated psychopathology in a large group of eating-disordered patients. A sample of 155 females meeting DSM-III-R criteria for anorexia nervosa (AN) or bulimia nervosa BN completed the Stealing Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ) and other self-reporting measures, including the Dissociation Questionnaire (DIS-Q). In a subgroup of 80 patients, the SBQ was repeated after 2 months' treatment. A total of 47.1% of the patients admitted a history of stealing; compared with restricting AN (35.3%), the proportion of stealers was higher in binge-eating/purging AN (54.8%) and BN (48.7%). The number of patients admitting to stealing did not change after 2 months of intensive treatment. Compared with other patients, stealers did not differ in signs of general psychopathology, but showed more abnormal scores on the DIS-Q (especially "loss of control"). The patients whose stealing was clearly related to their eating disorder did not show a distinct pattern of eating pathology or associated psychopathology. If studied in a systematic way, stealing appears to be more frequent than expected; with its relationship to bulimic tendencies and "loss of control," it might indicate a more severe (stage of an) eating disorder and, as such, deserves more attention from researchers and clinicians than the scarce literature is reflecting up to now.