[Extracting predictive factors of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa: an cross-cultural study].

This study aims to explore, within the framework of theories of self-regulation, risk profiles for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, in two countries of different cultures: Poland and France The studied population consists of 106 women of Polish (from Silesia) and French (from the region around Metz) nationality. We examine a group of 30 Polish and 32 French anorexics as well as 30 Polish and 14 French bulimics. All the participants filled in the EDI by Garner and al. (1983), the SEI by Coopersmith (1984), the GIFS by Maes et al. (2000), the Brief COPE by Carver (1997), the SECS by Van Elderen et al. (1997), the HADS by Zigmond and Snaith (1983) and the IPC by Levenson (1981). Our results indicate that the profile of Polish anorexics closely resembles that of French anorexics. There are two independent variables which play an equally important role: the interiorisation of anger and conflicts in the goals of intellectual development (the importance and at the same time the difficulty of reaching these goals). The factors predicting bulimia nervosa are not the same in the two populations under study.