Relationship of social perceptions and self-concept in bulimia nervosa

Although numerous studies have examined the families of bulimic individuals, none have explicitly addressed how family factors relate to self-concept among patients with bulimia. This study used L. Benjamin's' structural analysis of social behavior (1974) rating scales to assess how perceptions of parental relationships relate to self-concept. The results indicate that female patients with bulimia perceive both parents as hostilely disengaged. Furthermore, the self-concepts of patients with bulimia were significantly associated with perceptions of paternal attack/friendliness, which differentiated them from control participants. The results are discussed in terms of the possible relations between family factors and self-concept in bulimia.