ARTICLE
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
The study is aimed to compare coping strategies in the population with anorexia nervosa. The study posed the question whether or not there are differences within scores of coping strategies between the group with eating disorders and the healthy group. The authors assume that less adaptive coping strategies (based on emotions) often appear in persons with eating disorders rather than amongst the healthy population. The study involved 65 patients who were diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria, and a control group consisting of 65 women. Measures included the Brief COPE by Carver (1997) and the Eating Disorder Inventory by Garner et al. (1983). The results showed that there are statistically significant differences in coping strategies in both the examined groups. They belong to the following strategies: positive reinterpretation, a sense of humour, acceptance, and denial. This opens new perspectives for anorexia nervosa therapy, which should be based on changing less adaptive coping strategies and problem solving rather then avoiding them.