Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

12-1992

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Education

Major Professor

R. Steve McCallum

Committee Members

Joel Lubar, Tim Pettibone. Teresa Hutchens

Abstract

Relationships between bulimia (an eating disorder) and depression, bulimia and perceived sex role beliefs, and bulimia and dysfunctional body image perceptions were examined. In addition, the effectiveness of desipramine (an antidepressant) as a treatment modality for bulimia was examined. Eighteen women randomly assigned to either a placebo control group or an experimental group completed pretest Eating Disorder Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory and Hem Sex Role Inventory questionnaires. Women in the experimental group initially went through a two week placebo washout phase and then received desipramine during the six week active phase of the study. A t-test revealed a significant difference between the experimental and control group; the experimental group showed a significant reduction of the severity of bulimic symptoms (t = 4.09, p < .001). For the experimental group, a correlational analysis showed that desipramine blood levels displayed a low inverse trend with the reduction of bulimic symptoms. Additional correlational analyses from pretreatment data revealed a moderately strong positive relationship between the severity of bulimic symptoms and depression (r = .60); a negative relationship was also established between the severity of bulimic symptoms and perceived female sex role beliefs. Finally, no relationship was found between the severity of bulimic symptoms and dysfunctional body image perceptions. The results indicate that bulimia may be related to depression, that the relationship between the severity of bulimic symptoms and perceived female sex role beliefs is unclear and requires further clarification, and that desipramine seems to be effective in reducing the severity of bulimic symptoms. Evidence was also provided for the need to establish an effective therapeutic range for desipramine in bulimic women.

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