EATING BEHAVIOR FOLLOWING STRESS IN WOMEN WITH AND WITHOUT BULIMIC SYMPTOMS

Objective: This study examined the effects of an interpersonal stresso r on subsequent calorie intake in females with (N = 20) and without (N = 20) significant bulimic symptomatology. Method: Subjects participat ed in two laboratory sessions that differed according to experimental condition (stress versus no stress), completed self-report measures of mood and anxiety before and after the experimental task, and were pro vided with an array of snack foods after each session. Results: Counte r to the hypothesis, women with bulimic symptoms did not differentiall y increase their intake when exposed to stress. However results for th e intake of each macronutrient indicated that both bulimic and control women increased their consumption of carbohydrates following the stre ssor. Thus, stress was related to increased carbohydrate consumption b y all subjects but did not differentially affect the consumption of wo men with bulimic symptoms. Conclusions: It may be that women with buli mic symptoms are not differentially vulnerable to eating in response t o stress or that current laboratory paradigms are unable to detect dif ferences in eating following a stressor.