Study participants are recruited (300 patients for each entity). Healthy subjects without evidence of an eating disorder serve as a control group. Psychometric assessment will include data on pathological eating behavior and general psychological and interpersonal problems.~Outcome measures The SCL-90-R questionnaire is a self-report inventory for adolescents and adults that assesses a wide range of psychological problems and symptoms of psychopathology. The questionnaire consists of 90 items, each of which contributes to one of nine primary symptom dimensions.~The short form of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-C) is used to measure interpersonal problems. This self-report questionnaire contains 64 items assigned to eight subscales.~Eligible candidates are stratified as cases or matched controls as follows:~Cases are eligible patients diagnosed with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa (n=300 for each entity) at the time of study inclusion.~Controls (100) are healthy subjects of a similar age distribution and from the same study site without the diagnosis of an eating disorder.~Inclusion criteria:~- Age > 12 and < 59 years (adolescents and adults).~Exclusion criteria:~Diagnosed with a malignant disease~Not fluent in the German language~Severe mental disorder
This observational study compares parental age and birth order in patients diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.