Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-gtxcr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T00:11:14.327Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Puberty, sexual milestones and abuse: how are they related in eating disorder patients?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

U. Schmidt ,
K. Evans ,
J. Tiller  and
J. Treasure
U. Schmidt*
Affiliation:
St Mary's Hospital, Early Intervention Service and the Institute of Psychiatry, London
K. Evans
Affiliation:
St Mary's Hospital, Early Intervention Service and the Institute of Psychiatry, London
J. Tiller
Affiliation:
St Mary's Hospital, Early Intervention Service and the Institute of Psychiatry, London
J. Treasure
Affiliation:
St Mary's Hospital, Early Intervention Service and the Institute of Psychiatry, London
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr Ulrike Schmidt, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Synopsis

In order to assess the relationship between pubertal development, sexual milestones and childhood sexual abuse in women with eating disorders, 44 patients with restricting anorexia nervosa (RAN), 26 with bulimic anorexia nervosa (BAN), 29 with bulimia nervosa and also with a history of anorexia nervosa (BN/HistAN), and 69 with bulimia nervosa but without a history of anorexia nervosa (BN) completed questionnaires on pubertal and sexual development and unpleasant sexual experiences. Forty-four female college students completed the sexual development questionnaire only. Different eating disorder groups were found to be similar in terms of their pubertal development. All eating disorder groups showed delays in aspects of their psychosexual development (age at first kiss, masturbation, genital fondling and first sexual intercourse) compared with the control group, although to a different degree.

The RAN group was delayed on almost all sexual milestones whereas the other groups were delayed on only some. On some variables, most noticeably on first sexual intercourse, restricters also were more delayed than the other eating disorder groups. Similarly, the median number of sexual partners differed significantly between groups (RAN = 1, BAN = 2, BN/HistAN = 4, BN = 4, controls = 5, P < 0·0001). Eating disorder patients, in particular RAN patients, were less positive about sexual relationships than controls, but did not differ from controls in attitudes to masturbation, marriage, children or pregnancy. Of the eating disorder patients 22−31% had been sexually abused during childhood. A history of abuse affected attitudes to masturbation, but did not appear to affect sexual development.

Type
Brief Communication
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 25 , Issue 2 , March 1995 , pp. 413 - 417
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

ACSF investigators (1992). Aids and sexual behaviour in France. Nature 360, 407–409.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beumont, P. J. V., Abraham, S. F. & Smart, D. E. (1981). The psychosexual histories of adolescent girls and young women with anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine 11, 131–140.Google Scholar
Browne, A. & Finkelhor, D. (1986). Impact of child sexual abuse: a review of the research. Psychological Bulletin 99, 66–77.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnson, A. M., Wadsworth, J., Wellings, K., Bradshaw, S. & Field, J. (1992). Sexual lifestyles and HIV risk. Nature 360, 410–412.Google Scholar
Lacey, J. H. (1992). Homogamy: the relationships and sexual partners of normal-weight bulimic women. British Journal of Psychiatry 161, 638–642.Google Scholar
Lee, E. & Desu, M. (1972). A computer program for comparing k samples with right-censored data. Computer Programs in Biomedicine 2, 315–321.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Norušis, M. (1990). SPSS/PC + V4.0 Manual. SPSS Inc.: Chicago, Illinois.Google Scholar
Oppenheimer, R., Howells, K., Palmer, R. L. & Chaloner, D. (1985). Adverse sexual experiences in childhood and clinical eating disorders: a preliminary description. Journal of Psychiatric Research 19, 357–361.Google Scholar
Palmer, R. L. & Oppenheimer, R. (1992). Childhood sexual experiences with adults: a comparison of women with eating disorders and those with other diagnoses. International Journal of Eating Disorders 12, 359–364.Google Scholar
Rothschild, B. S., Fagan, P. J., Woodall, C. & Andersen, A. E. (1991). Sexuality of women with anorexia nervosa. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 84, 9–11.Google Scholar
Tanner, J. M. (1962). In Growth at Adolescence, 2nd edn.Blackwell Scientific: Oxford.Google Scholar
Tuiten, A., Panhuysen, G., Everaerd, W., Lann, E., Koppeschaar, H., Velde, de E. & Smeets, M. (1992). Anorexia nervosa and sexuality. Neuroendocrinology Letters 14, 259.Google Scholar
Vaz-Leal, F. J. & Salcedo-Salcedo, M. S. (1992). Sexual adjustment and eating disorders: differences between typical and atypical anorexic adolescents. International Journal of Eating Disorders 12, 11–19.3.0.CO;2-3>CrossRefGoogle Scholar