Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the intellectual functioning of a large group of eating disordered adolescents in order to test two hypotheses, viz, that the intellectual functioning of eating disordered adolescents conforms to the normal distribution, and that eating disordered adolescents do not perform better in verbal abilities than in nonverbal abilities. Standard intelligence tests were applied to 190 consecutive out- and inpatients with eating disorder diagnoses. The results were compared with those of a group of patients with other disorders, similar in age, sex, SES, and year of admission. The IQ of the eating disordered patients was significantly higher than that of patients in the comparison group. Patients in the comparison group and bulimic patients, but not anorexic patients, showed better nonverbal than verbal intellectual performance.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Psychiatric Association (1987) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd edition-revised, DSMIII-R, American Psychiatric Association, Washington D.C.
Dally P (1969) Anorexia nervosa. Heinemann, London
Dura JR, Bornstein RA, (1989) Differences between IQ and school achievement in anorexia nervosa. Journal of Clinical Psychology 45:433–435
Flynn JR (1984) The mean IQ of Americans: massive gains 1932 to 1978. Psycholological Bulletin 95:29–51
Flynn JR (1987) Massive IQ gains in 14 nations: what IQ test really measure. Psycholological Bulletin 101:171–191
Fuggle PW, Tokar S, Grant DB, Smith I (1992) Rising IQ Scores in British Children: Recent Evidence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 33:1241–1247
Heebink DM, Sunday SR, Halmi KA (1995) Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa in adolescence: Effects of age and menstrual status on psychological variables. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 34:378–382
Horn W (1969) Test System for School and Education Counseling (in German: Prüfsystem für Schul- and Bildungsberatung, PSB). Hogrefe, Göttingen
Home RL, van Vactor JC, Emerson S (1991) Disturbed body image in patients with eating disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry 148:211–215
Kleining G, Moore H (1968) The Social Self-Assessment (In German: Soziale Selbsteinstufung SSE). Kölner Zeit schrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie 20:502–552
Koop J, Röttger K (1989) The WISC-R in comparison with other intelligence tests (in German: Der HAWIK-R im Vergleich zuanderen Intelligenztests). Diagnostica 35 3:201–210
Kowalski PS (1986) Cognitive abilities of female adolescents with anorexia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders 5, 6:983–997
Maxwell JK, Tucker DM, Townes BD (1984) Asymmetric cognitive function in anorexia nervosa. International Journal of Neuroscience 24:37–44
Pendleton Jones B, Duncan CC, Brouwers P, Mirsky AF (1991) Cognition in eating disorders. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology 13:711–728
Pope HG, Champoux BS, Hudson Jl (1987) Eating disorder and socioeconomic class: Anorexia nervosa and bulimia in nine communities. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 175:620–623
Ranseen JR, Humphries LL (1992) The intellectual functioning of eating disorder patients. Journal of the American Acadamy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 31:844–846
Schepker R (1993) The meaning of school performance in adolescents with anorexic disorders (in German: Die Be deutung der Schulleistungen bei Jugendlichen mit anorektischen Störungen). Praxis der Kinderpsychologie u. Kinderpsychiatrie 42:8–14
Schmidt-Atzert L, Hommers W, Hess M (1995) The German Intelligence Test I-ST 70: Analysis and Evaluation. Diagnostica 41:108–130
Small A, Teagno L, Madero J, Gross H, Ebert M (1982) A comparison of anorexics and schizophrenics on psycho diagnostic measures. International Journal of Eating Disorders 1:49–56
Walitza S, Schleider K, Schulze U, Warnke, A (1995) Differences between patients with anorexia and bulimia nervosa with regard to psychological and social features (in German: Unterschiede zwischen Anorexia und Bulimia nervosa Patientinnen im Hinblick auf psychologische und soziale Merkmale). Poster presented at the XXIV Meeting of the German Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Würzburg, Germany, April 26–29, 1995
Wechsler D (1974) Manual for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Revised. The Psychological Corporation, New York
Wechsler D (1981) Manual for the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Revised. The Psychological Corporation, San Antonio, TX
Wilbur CJ, Colligan RC (1981) Psychologic and behavioural correlates of anorexia nervosa. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics 2:89–92
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Blanz, B.J., Detzner, U., Lay, B. et al. The intellectual functioning of adolescents with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 6, 129–135 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00538984
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00538984