Psychiatry Research EG

Objective The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of and attitudes toward eating disorders among female nurses. Participants and methods Female nurses who were under training in Alamal Psychiatric Complex Medina constituted the participants of the study. Nurses were differentiated into two groups: group A, with BMI below 20, and group B with BMI equal to or above 20. Group A and group B were subjected to a two-stage epidemiological study. In the first stage, Eating Attitude Test 26 (EAT 26) and Bulimic Investigatory Test Edinburgh were used. In the second stage, Structured Clinical Interview of DSM-IV (SCID) was administered on nurses who had a score above the cutoff points. Results Anorexia nervosa was not diagnosed in any nurse (0%). Twelve (3.2%) nurses were diagnosed with bulimia nervosa. Thirteen (3.5%) nurses were diagnosed with binge eating and five (1.4%) nurses were diagnosed with eating disorder not otherwise specified. Both bulimic and oral subscales of EAT 26 were higher in group A than in group B (Po0.001 and <0.05, respectively). No significant difference was found between the two groups in the two subscales of Bulimic Investigatory Test Edinburgh. Conclusion Among female nurses, bulimia nervosa, binge eating, and eating disorders not otherwise specified were common, whereas anorexia nervosa was not found. This must warrant the development of specific strategies for early detection and proper management.