Abstract
Thirty-two centres from nine European countries participated in a research programme about eating disorders. This study presents results of patients aged 17–26 years suffering from anorexia (N = 418) and bulimia nervosa (N = 650) according to DSM-IV criteria (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Patients' personality profiles were assessed with the revised version of the Freiburger Personality Inventory (FPI-R). Compared to the comparison subjects, the eating-disordered patients showed lower life satisfaction, health concern and extraversion and higher social orientation, inhibition, irritability, strain, somatic complaints, frankness and emotionality. Anorexic patients had similar scores to the comparison group on achievement orientation and aggressiveness scales. Non-purging bulimic patients were not different from comparison subjects in aggressiveness and purging bulimic patients showed no difference for extraversion. Differences in the diagnostic subgroups are discussed in light of the literature in this area. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.