Use of the MMPI-2 in the outpatient assessment of women with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa

Past research has shown that women with eating disorders commonly display clinical elevations on several scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI; Hathaway & McKinley, 1983), so the MMPI may be useful for the differentiation of women with Anorexia Nervosa from those with Bulimia Nervosa. In the study presented here, 116 women diagnosed with either Bulimia Nervosa or Anorexia Nervosa completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989). Multivariate analyses failed to reveal any differences among the diagnostic subtypes. Consideration of profile code types was suggestive of possible group differences that mirror those discussed in previous literature on the personality features of women with eating disorders. Results are discussed with regard to past research and the clinical utility of the MMPI in the outpatient assessment of women with Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa.