Gender differences in the progression of comorbid

Authors: P Bean M B Maddocks P Timmel T Weltzin

Publish Date: 2013/10/18

Volume: 10, Issue: 3, Pages: 168-174

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Abstract

This study examined the utility of the Personality Assessment Inventory PAI in screening for comorbid psychopathology in eating disordered males and females undergoing residential treatment The PAI a selfadministered screening tool containing 344 items to provide information on 11 clinical constructs was administered at admission and discharge to 181 patients 154 females and 27 males Average age was 2688 years SD=935 and average length of stay was 5831 days SD=3994 The results showed that both male and female patients exhibit several comorbid disorders at admission to residential treatment and the severity of these symptoms was statistically significantly reduced over the course of treatment When comparing differences among genders the results show that females present with more psychopathology symptoms at the start of treatment but make better progress than males in reducing these symptoms over time When comparing patients across eating disorder diagnoses subjects with bulimia displayed more severe comorbid symptomatology as compared to those with anorexia or other eating disorders A thorough clinical assessment of eating disordered patients including comorbid psychopathology disorders is relevant for clinical diagnosis treatment planning and perhaps ultimately the outcome of treatment

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