Eating attitudes among adolescent anorexia nervosa patients and normal subjects in former west and east Berlin: A transcultural comparison

Abstract

This paper presents findings derived from comparative studies using the Eating Attitude Test (EAT) and conducted in East and West Berlin during the 1980s when the two Germanies were still strictly segregated. On the whole, the findings support earlier observations that North American findings are not transferable or descriptive of Middle European populations. Lower EAT scores were found for both East and West Berlin samples when compared with North American samples, and deficient discriminant validity of the EAT is evidenced in the remarkably low mean score of the East Berlin patients with anorexia nervosa. All of the scores of the EAT scales have been shown to be independent with respect to chronological age, whereas socioeconomic status and age of disease onset have been shown to be important determinants of score variation. Furthermore, there is evidence of a relative lack of deceptive tendencies when high EAT scores are coupled with high degrees of denial of illness.