Personality traits among currently eating disordered, recovered and never ill first-degree female relatives of bulimic and control women

Background. A combined family study and recovered study design was utilized to examine several hypothesized relationships between personality and buli mia nervosa (BN). Methods. We studied 47 women with a lifetime history of DSM-III-R BN (31 cu rrently ill and 16 recovered), 44 matched control women (CW) with no histor y of an eating disorder (ED), and their first-degree female relatives (N = 89 and N = 100, respectively), some of whom had current or previous EDs. Results. BN probands' relatives with no ED history had significantly elevat ed levels of perfectionism, ineffectiveness, and interpersonal distrust com pared to CW probands' relatives with no ED history. In contrast, diminished interoceptive awareness, heightened stress reactivity and perfectionistic doubting of actions were found among the previously eating disordered relat ives of bulimic probands compared to their never ill relatives. Finally, a sense of alienation and emotional responsivity to the environment were elev ated among currently ill compared to recovered bulimic probands. Conclusions. The fact that perfectionism, ineffectiveness and interpersonal distrust are transmitted independently of an ED in relatives suggests that they may be of potential aetiological relevance for BN. In contrast, dimin ished interoceptive awareness, heightened stress reactivity and perfectioni stic doubting of actions are more likely consequent to, or exacerbated by, previously having experienced the illness. Finally, a sense of alienation a nd emotional responsivity to the environment are more likely to be associat ed with currently having BN.