Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The assessment of body image distortion in female adolescents with anorexia nervosa: The development of a Test for Body Image Distortion in Children and Adolescents (BID-CA)

  • Original Research Paper
  • Published:
Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument (Test for Body Image Distortion in Children and Adolescents, BID-CA) suitable for adolescents to detect and quantify body image distortion. Participants were patients with anorexia nervosa (AN; N=75), healthy age-matched control participants (N=268) and age-matched thin female athletes (N=50) with a mean age of 15.2 (standard deviation =2.0) years. We assessed body image distortion (arm, waist, and thigh) using the BID-CA and two scales of the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2; Drive for Thinness, Body Dissatisfaction). Diagnostic validity of the BIDCA was analyzed with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Additional regression analyses revealed the variables BID-CA thigh and EDI-2 Drive for Thinness to be the best at predicting body image distortion among AN patients. In conclusion, the BID-CA showed good diagnostic validity. It is efficient, language independent, time-saving and seems appropriate for children and adolescents.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC, APA, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Vocks S., Legenbauer T., Rüddel H., Troje N.F.: Static and dynamic body image in bulimia nervosa: mental representation of body dimensions and biological motion patterns. Int. J. Eat. Disord., 39, 1–8, 2006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Smeets M.A.M., Kosslyn S.M.: Hemispheric differences in body image in anorexia nervosa. Int. J. Eat. Disord., 29, 409–416, 2001.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Seeger G., Braus D.F., Ruf M., Goldberger U., Schmidt M.H.: Body image distortion reveals amygdala activation in patients with anorexia nervosa — a functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Neurosci. Lett., 326, 25–28, 2002.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Gardner R.M., Bokenkamp E.D.: The role of sensory and nonsensory factors in body size estimations of eating disorder subjects. J. Clin. Psychol., 52, 3–15, 1996.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Fernández-Aranda F., Dahme B., Meermann R.: Body image in eating disorders and analysis of its relevance: a preliminary study. J. Psychosom. Res., 47, 419–428, 1999.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Sorbara M., Geliebter A.: Body image disturbance in obese outpatients before and after weight loss in relation to race, gender, binge eating, and age of onset of obesity. Int. J. Eat. Disord., 31, 416–423, 2002.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Meermann R.: Experimental investigation of disturbance in body image estimation in anorexia nervosa patients, and ballet and gymnastics pupils. Int. J. Eat. Disord., 2, 91–100, 1983.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Probst M., Braet C., Vandereycken W., De Vos P., Van Coppenolle H., Verhofstadt-Deneve L.: Body size estimation in obese children: a controlled study with the video distortion method. Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord., 19, 820–824, 1995.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Slade P.D., Russell G.F.M.: Awareness of body dimensions in anorexia nervosa: cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Psychol. Med., 3, 188–199, 1973.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Shafran R., Fairburn C.G.: A new ecologically valid method to assess body size estimation and body size dissatisfaction. Int. J. Eat. Disord., 32, 458–465, 2002.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Brunner R., Resch F.: Ess-StÖrungen — ein zunehmendes Problem bei Kindern und Jugendlichen? Therapeutische Umschau, 63, 545–549, 2006.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Herzog W., Friederich H.C., Wild B., Löwe B., Zipfel S.: Magersucht. Ther. Umsch., 63, 539–543, 2006.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Fichter M., Quadflieg N.: Strukturiertes Inventar für Anorektische und Bulimische EssstÖrungen nach DSM-IV und ICD-10. Göttingen, Hogrefe, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Rathner G., Waldherr K.: Eating Disorder Inventory-2: Eine deutschsprachige Validierung mit Normen für weibliche und männliche Jugendliche. Z. Klin. Psychol. Psychiatr. Psychother., 45, 157–182, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Rosen J.C., Ramirez E.: A comparison of eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder on body image and psychological adjustment. J. Psychosom. Res., 44, 441–449, 1998.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Thompson K.J., Dolce J.J., Spana R.E., Register A.: Emotionally versus intellectually based estimates of body size. Int. J. Eat. Disord., 6, 507–513, 1987.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Ohtahara H., Ohzeki T., Hanaki K., Motozumi H. Shiraki K.: Abnormal perception of body weight is not solely observed in pubertal girls: incorrect body image in children and its relationship to body weight. Acta Psychiatr. Scand., 87, 218–222, 1992.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Skrzypek S., Wehmeier P.M., Remschmidt H.: Body image assessment using body size estimation in recent studies on anorexia nervosa. A brief review. Eur. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 10, 215–221, 1992.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Charité — Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Virchow Klinikum, Augustenburgen Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany

    N. Schneider, S. Ehrlich, E. Pfeiffer, U. Lehmkuhl & H. Salbach-Andrae

  2. Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Charité — Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany

    P. Martus

Authors
  1. N. Schneider
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. P. Martus
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S. Ehrlich
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. E. Pfeiffer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. U. Lehmkuhl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. H. Salbach-Andrae
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to N. Schneider.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Schneider, N., Martus, P., Ehrlich, S. et al. The assessment of body image distortion in female adolescents with anorexia nervosa: The development of a Test for Body Image Distortion in Children and Adolescents (BID-CA). Eat Weight Disord 14, e128–e136 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03327810

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03327810

Key words

Search

Navigation