SCOPE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF POSTTRAUMATIC SYMPTOMATOLOGY AMONG WOMEN HOSPITALIZED FOR AN EATING DISORDER

Objective: To examine posttraumatic symptomatology among women with ea ting disorders. Method: A sample of 294 women diagnosed as having anor exia nervosa (n = 121), bulimia nervosa (n = 103), or eating disorder- not otherwise specified (n = 70) completed a version of the posttrauma tic stress disorder (PTSD) Symptom Scale along with instruments measur ing specific eating disorder symptomatology and comorbid psychopatholo gy. Results: Of the total sample, 154 (52%) reported current symptomat ology consistent with PTSD. However, severity of PTSD symptomatology w as unrelated to either type or eating disorder or severity of either a norexic or bulimic symptomatology. Severity of PTSD symptoms was signi ficantly associated with depression, anxiety, and dissociative experie nces. Discussion: The findings suggest that PTSD symptomatology is com mon and an important clinical variable among women with eating disorde rs, although apparently it is not directly related to the eating disor der per se. (C) 1998 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.