Severity of bulimic symptoms is the best predictor of interference on an emotional Stroop paradigm
K.L. Lokken*, H.M. Marx**, and F.R. Ferraro***
*Department of Psychiatry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, **Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, and ***Department of Psychology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA

Objective: The goal of the current study was to further investigate whether an emotional Stroop effect exists among patients with bulimia nervosa. Method: Performances of 30 female controls, 30 females with subclinical eating disordered symptoms, and 30 females diagnosed with bulimia nervosa were compared on an emotional Stroop color naming task using stimuli separated into three areas of concern (eating, weight, and shape words). Results: Results indicated that overall the three groups differed significantly on the emotional Stroop task, with the interference latency for disorder salient words progressively increasing as the severity of bulimic symptoms increased. Severity of bulimic symptoms was the best predictor of interference on the emotional Stroop paradigm. Discussion: Results provide further evidence that interference on the emotional Stroop is uniquely related to the symptoms of bulimia nervosa and bear credence to the possibility of its use as an additional tool in the diagnosis of bulimia nervosa. (Eating Weight Disord. 11: 38-44, 2006). ©2006, Editrice Kurtis

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