Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-21T23:28:38.059Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Eating Attitudes Test: an index of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

David M. Garner  and
Paul E. Garfinkel
David M. Garner*
Affiliation:
Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Canada
Paul E. Garfinkel
Affiliation:
Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Canada
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr David M. Garner, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, 250 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5T 1R8, Canada.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Synopsis

Data on the development of a 40-item measure of the symptoms in anorexia nervosa are reported. The scale (EAT) is presented in a 6-point, forced choice, self-report format which is easily administered and scored. The EAT was validated using 2 groups of female anorexia nervosa patients (N = 32 and 33) and female control subjects (N = 34 and 59). Total EAT score was significantly correlated with criterion group membership(r = 0·87, P < 0·001), suggesting a high level of concurrent validity. There was very little overlap in the frequency distributions of the 2 groups and only 7% of the normal controls scored as high as the lowest anorexic patient. Female obese and male subjects also scored significantly lower on the EAT than anorexics. Recovered anorexic patients scored in the normal range on the test, suggesting that the EAT is sensitive to clinical remission.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 9 , Issue 2 , May 1979 , pp. 273 - 279
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

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.)

References

Bliss, E. L. & Branch, E. H. H. (1960). Anorexia Nervosa. Paul C. Hoebner: New York.Google Scholar
Bruch, H. (1973). Eating Disorders. Basic Books: New York.Google Scholar
Canadian Average Weights for Height, Age and Sex (1954). Nutrition Division of the Department of National Health and Welfare: Ottawa, Canada.Google Scholar
Crisp, A. H. (1970). Anorexia nervosa. ‘Feeding Disorder’, nervous malnutrition or weight phobia? World Review of Nutrition 12, 452–504.Google ScholarPubMed
Dally, P. J. (1969). Anorexia Nervosa. Grune and Stratton: New York.Google Scholar
Feighner, J. P., Robins, E., Guze, S. B., Woodruff, R. A., Winokur, G. & Munoz, R. (1972). Diagnostic criteria for use in psychiatric research. Archives of General Psychiatry 26, 57–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garfinkel, P. E., Moldofsky, H., Garner, D. M., Stancer, H. C. & Coscina, D. V. (1978). Body awareness in anorexia nervosa: Disturbances in ‘body image’ and ‘satiety’. Psychosomatic Medicine 40, 487–498.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garner, D. M. & Garfinkel, P. E. (1978). Sociocultural factors in anorexia nervosa. Lancet ii, 674.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garner, D. M., Garfinkel, P. E., Stancer, H. C. & Moldofsky, H. (1976). Body image disturbances in anorexia nervosa and obesity. Psychosomatic Medicine 38, 227–237.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garner, D. M., Garfinkel, P. E. & Moldofsky, H. (1978). Perceptual experiences in anorexia nervosa and obesity. Canadian Psychiatric Association Journal 23, 249–263.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goldberg, S. C., Halmi, K. A., Casper, R., Eckert, E. & Davis, J. M. (1977). Pretreatment predictors of weight change in anorexia nervosa. In Anorexia Nervosa (ed. Vigersky, R. A.), pp. 31–54. Raven Press: New York.Google Scholar
Gull, W. W. (1868). The address in medicine. Lancet ii, 171–176.Google Scholar
Halmi, K. A. (1974). Anorexia nervosa; demographic and clinical features in 94 cases. Psychosomatic Medicine 36, 18–25.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Herman, C. P. & Polivy, J. (1975). Anxiety, restraint and eating behaviour. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 84, 666–672.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hill, O. W. (1976). Anorexia nervosa. In Modern Trends in Psychosomatic Medicine, Vol. 3 (ed. Hill, O. W.), pp. 382–403. Butterworth: London.Google Scholar
Kalucy, R. S., Crisp, A. H. & Harding, B. (1977). A study of 56 families with anorexia nervosa. British Journal of Medical Psychology 50, 381–395.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morgan, H. G. & Russell, G. F. M. (1975). Value of family background and clinical features as predictors of long-term outcome in anorexia nervosa: 4 year follow-up study of 41 patients. Psychological Medicine 5, 355–372.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nunnally, J. C. (1967). Psychometric Theory. McGraw-Hill: New York.Google Scholar
Russell, G. F. M. (1970). Anorexia nervosa: its identity as an illness and its treatment. In Modern Trends in Psychological Medicine, Vol. 2 (ed. Price, J. H.), pp. 131–164. Butterworth: London.Google Scholar
Selvini, M. P. (1974). Anorexia Nervosa. Chaucer: London.Google Scholar
Slade, P. D. (1973). A short anorexic behaviour scale. British Journal of Psychiatry 122, 83–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Slade, P. D. & Russell, G. F. M. (1973). Awareness of body dimension in anorexia nervosa: cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Psychological Medicine 3, 188–199.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sours, J. A. (1969). Anorexia nervosa: nosology, diagnosis, developmental patterns and power control dynamics. In Adolescence: Psychosocial Perspectives (ed. Caplan, G. and Lebovici, S.), pp. 185–212. Basic Books: New York.Google Scholar
Theander, S. (1970). Anorexia nervosa: a psychiatric investigation of 94 female patients. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica Suppl. 214, 1–194.Google Scholar