HEIGHTENED ACCURACY OF SELF-REPORTED WEIGHT IN BULIMIA-NERVOSA - A USEFUL COGNITIVE DISTORTION

Objective: This study was designed to test two competing hypotheses re garding bias in self-report of weight and height in bulimia nervosa. M ethod: General population samples of 102 young women with bulimia nerv osa and 204 age and social class-matched healthy control women were re cruited. Subjective and measured values of height and weight were obta ined and compared within and between the groups. Results: The healthy control subjects reported that they were lighter and taller than they actually were, and the degree of this discrepancy was related both to their actual weight and, more strongly, to the difference between thei r actual and desired weight. In contrast, the bulimia nervosa subjects showed little reporting bias. Discussion: The results support the hyp othesis that the intense interest of bulimia nervosa subjects in their weight is expressed by heightened precision of their self-report. Epi demiological studies of bulimia nervosa can capitalize on this cogniti ve ''distortion.'' (C) 1998 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.