A controlled family study of personality in normal-weight bulimia nervosa

Abstract

Abnormal personality traits have been described in women with bulimia nervosa. To determine if abnormal personality profiles were familial in bulimia nervosa, we identified 25 women with normal-weight bulimia nervosa and 25 age-and weightmatched women without psychiatric disorder for a family personality study. Probands completed a personal diagnostic interview as well as a battery of self-report questionnaires including the Personality Diagnosis Questionnaire (PDQ-R)–an inventory assessing 11 personality categories as defined by DSM-III-R. Firstdegree family members enumerated by the probands received packets also containing the PDQ-R. Bulimic probands scored significantly higher mean PDQ-R scores than did controls on nearly all categories, and especially borderline traits (6.8 versus 1.96; z = 4.84, p =.0001). Bulimic families as a whole showed few abnormal traits compared to control families. This study suggests that personality traits seen in bulimics are not familial risk-factors, but rather may be a consequence of bulimia nervosa and concurrent alcohol abuse and depression.