Development and validation of a test for bulimia

Abstract

Describes the development of a bulimia test (BULIT), a 32-item, self-report, multiple-choice scale that assesses symptoms of bulimia for clinical work and research. The BULIT was constructed by comparing responses of clinically identified female bulimic Ss with normal female college students on 75 preliminary test items, which were based on DSM-III criteria for bulimia. Cross-validation was performed on independent samples of bulimic and control Ss. The BULIT was a good predictor of group membership for both initial and replication samples. The scale was then administered to female college students, and a stratified sample of these Ss was retested and interviewed several weeks later. Results of retesting and judgments of diagnostic interviews show that the BULIT is a reliable and valid predictor of bulimia in a nonclinical population. The BULIT correlated highly with another measure of bulimia, indicating a high degree of construct validity. A lower correlation with a measure of anorexia nervosa suggests that bulimia and anorexia nervosa represent overlapping, but not identical, syndromes. The BULIT is appended. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1984 American Psychological Association.