Hostname: page-component-669899f699-g7b4s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-24T15:26:36.787Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Estimation of body dimensions in anorexia nervosa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

R. A. Pierloot  and
M. E. Houben
R. A. Pierloot*
Affiliation:
St Jozef's Psychiatric Hospital, Kortenberg, Belgium
M. E. Houben
Affiliation:
St Jozef's Psychiatric Hospital, Kortenberg, Belgium
*
1Address for correspondence: Professor R. A. Pierloot, St Jozef's Psychiatric Hospital, Leuvenbaan 68, 3070 Kortenberg, Belgium.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Synopsis

The estimation of body dimensions in a group of 31 patients with anorexia nervosa and a control group of 20 psychoneurotic females has been studied with different techniques, including a visual size estimation apparatus and the marking of indicated body points on a paper attached to the wall. The results confirm the previously described tendency by patients with anorexia nervosa to overestimate body size in the stage before their treatment in hospital. Various differences between the two groups were found and the anorexic patients were more inconsistent in the estimation of the different body measures. On the basis of correlations with the results of an internal-external control questionnaire, it is suggested that overestimation and variability in visual size estimation could be promoted by an orientation towards external control.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 8 , Issue 2 , May 1978 , pp. 317 - 324
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1978

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Andriessen, J. H. T. H. (1972). Interne of externe beheersing. Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Psychologie 27, 173–198.Google Scholar
Askevold, F. (1975). Measuring body image. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 26, 71–77.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bruch, H. (1962). Perceptual and conceptual disturbances in anorexia nervosa. Psychosomatic Medicine 24, 187–194.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Button, E. J., Fransella, F. & Slade, P. D. (1977). A reappraisal of body perception disturbance in anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine 7, 235–243.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crisp, A. H. & Kalucy, R. S. (1974). Aspects of the perceptual disorder in anorexia nervosa. British Journal of Medical Psychology 47, 349–361.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Feighner, J. P., Robins, E. & Guze, S. B. (1972). Diagnostic criteria for use in psychiatric research. Archives of General Psychiatry 26, 57–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fisher, S. & Cleveland, S. E. (1958). Body Image and Personality. Van Nostrand: Princeton.Google Scholar
Garner, D. M., Garfinkel, P. E., Stancer, H. C. & Modolfsky, H. (1976). Body image disturbances in anorexia nervosa and obesity. Psychosomatic Medicine 38, 327–336.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Glucksman, M. L. & Hirsch, J. (1969). The response of obese patients to weight reduction. III. The perception of body size. Psychosomatic Medicine 31, 1–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Halmi, K. A., Goldberg, S. C. & Cunningham, S. (1977). Perceptual distortion of body image in adolescence. Psychological Medicine 7, 253–257.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pierloot, R. A., Wellens, W. & Houben, M. E. (1976). Elements of resistance to a combined medical and psychotherapeutic program in anorexia nervosa. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 26, 101–117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reitman, E. E. & Cleveland, S. E. (1964). Changes in body image following sensory deprivation in schizophrenia and control group. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 68, 168–176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siegel, S. (1956). Nonparametric Statistics for the Behavioural Sciences. McGraw-Hill: New York.Google Scholar
Slade, P. D. (1977). Awareness of body dimensions during pregnancy: an analogue study. Psychological Medicine 7, 245–252.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Slade, P. D. & Russell, G. F. M. (1973). Awareness of body dimensions in anorexia nervosa: cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Psychological Medicine 3, 188–189.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vandereycken, W. & Pierloot, R. (1977). Een leertheoretische benadering van anorexia nervosa. Psychologica Belgica 17, 71–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar