In vivo cognitive assessment in bulimia nervosa and restrained eating

The Bulimic Cognition Inventory (BCI) was introduced as an in vivo endorsement method for measuring cognitions characteristic of bulimia nervosa. Cognitions assessed with the BCI included negative and distorted self-statements dealing with food, body image, and low self-efficacy. The BCI was used to assess the cognitions of 15 women with bulimia, 15 women who engage in restrained eating, and 15 non-eating-disordered women in the naturalistic environment when eating, in the naturalistic environment independent of eating, and in the laboratory setting. The external validity of cognitions gathered in a laboratory was also assessed. Results indicated, in all conditions, the bulimic group reported more of the targeted cognitions and rated these cognitions as more intense than the non-eating disordered group. Interesting similarities as well as differences emerged between the bulimic and restrained eater groups. Current findings support the discriminant Validity of the BCI for distinguishing women with bulimia nervosa from those who do not have an eating disorder, raise interesting questions regarding restraint theory, and support the use of laboratory procedures to assess the cognitions of women with bulimia nervosa.