Self-reported competencies and problems among Swedish girls with eating disorders and a control sample, using the Youth Self-Report

Objective: To study self-reported competencies and problems in adolescent girls with eating disorders, anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) compared to matched normal controls. Method: The Youth Self-Report (YSR) was completed by 211 girls between 13 and 17 years of age with eating disorders and 211 controls matched for age, sex, and geographical area. Results: Girls with eating disorders scored lower on all competence scales and higher on most problem scales compared to controls. Type of diagnosis had no effect on competence scales, but BN-patients scored higher than AN- and EDNOS-patients on many problem scales. AN-bingers/purgers reported more problems than restrictors on somatic complaints, delinquent behaviour, and the externalizing dimension. Discussion: We conclude that the YSR gives important information concerning self-reported competencies and concomitant symptoms of general psychopathology in eating disordered adolescent girls.