THE SEXUAL EXPERIENCE OF WOMEN DIAGNOSED WITH ANOREXIA-NERVOSA OR BULIMIA-NERVOSA

Objective: Women with bulimia nervosa generally have reported greater sexual activity and experience relative to women with anorexia nervosa . However, past research has been based on small samples and has not c ontrolled for potential confounding variables or symptom severity. We further investigated sexual experience among women diagnosed with an e ating disorder. Methods: Women evaluated in an outpatient eating disor ders program, and subsequently diagnosed with either anorexia nervosa (n = 131) or bulimia nervosa (n = 319), completed the Diagnostic Surve y for Eating Disorders-Revised (DSED-R) at intake. Sexual experience v ariables (masturbation, coitus, sexual satisfaction), as well as contr ol variables (age, weight, and menarche) and measures of symptom sever ity, were derived from the DSED-R. Logistic regression analyses were u sed to predict sexual experience. Results: After controlling for relev ant covariates, bulimics were more likely than anorexics to have engag ed in sexual intercourse. Masturbation experience, as well as self-rat ings of current sexual satisfaction, were inversely related to degree of restriction of caloric intake, particularly among women with anorex ia nervosa. When compared to anorexics, bulimics reported greater sexu al interest and earlier age of first coitus. Discussion: Coitus (sexua l activity involving a partner) was related to eating disorder diagnos is independent of symptoms, whereas masturbation (self-focused sexual activity) was related to caloric restriction for the sample as a whole and anorexia nervosa patients in particular. These relationships betw een sexual experience and eating disorder symptoms and diagnosis may i lluminate the personality features of women with anorexia nervosa vers us bulimia nervosa as well as the functional role of caloric restricti on. (C) 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.