[Analysis of etiologic models of disease development and continuation of bulimia nervosa using structural equation modeling].

In contrast to the great number of etiological models for bulimia nervosa, few conceptions determine the therapeutic practice. Two of these models, the ego-psychological model of reduced impulse-control and the behavioural model focussing the influence of "restrained eating" are empirically compared. Both models are not supposed to be of ubiquitous validity, but valid for subgroups of bulimic women. The theoretical assumptions are translated into structural equations and a sample of 127 bulimic women is divided up into 2 subsamples according to criteria which are presumed to define the validity of both etiological models. In agreement with the assumptions the "restrained eating" model shows the better "fit" with the one subsample while the ego-psychological model is more adequate for the other group.