Am J Psychiatry 1994; 151:1127-1131
Copyright © 1994 by American Psychiatric Association
Family background and sexual abuse associated with eating disorders
JF Kinzl, C Traweger, V Guenther and W Biebl
Department of Psychiatry, Innsbruck University Clinics, Austria.
OBJECTIVE: The authors examined the possible relationship of negative early
familial experiences and childhood sexual abuse to the later development of
eating disorders. METHODS: Three anonymous questionnaires--a sexual abuse
screening checklist, the Biographic Inventory for Diagnosis of Behavioral
Disturbances, and the Eating Disorder Inventory--were distributed to 350
female university students. RESULTS: Of the 202 women who completed the
questionnaires, 44 (21.8%) were victims of childhood sexual abuse. There
were no significant differences in the total or the subscale scores on the
Eating Disorder Inventory among women with no, one, or repeated incidents
of sexual abuse. However, women who reported an adverse family background
displayed significantly higher Eating Disorder Inventory total and subscale
scores than did women who assessed family background as a secure base.
CONCLUSIONS: The data in this nonclinical female cohort suggest that
childhood sexual abuse is neither necessary nor sufficient for the later
development of an eating disorder, while an adverse family background may
be an important etiological factor.
