Discriminative Role of the Fear of Positive and Negative Evaluation, Perfectionism and Self-focused Attention in Social Anxiety Disorder, Bulimia Nervosa Disorder and Normal Individuals

Research examining social anxiety and bulimia nervosa disorder has shown the role of various variables about them. The goal of current study was to assess the discriminative role of the fear of positive and negative evaluation, positive and negative perfectionism and self-focused attention between bulimia nervosa disorder, social anxiety disorder and normal individuals. Using an expose-facto design, 90 subjects (30 bulimia nervosa, 30 social anxiety and 30 normal individuals) were selected by available sampling method and completed the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN),  Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26), Fear of Positive  Evaluation Scale (FPES), Fear of Negative Evaluation   Scales(FNES-B), Positive and Negative Perfectionism(PNP) and Self-focused Attention Questionnaire(FAQ). Data were analyzed using a Diagnostic Analysis.  The results showed higher mean scores of the positive perfectionism in normal group and bulimia nervosa compared with the mean scores in social anxiety group. The mean scores in the Social Anxiety group in all of the variables except Positive Perfectionism was higher than the normal group and bulimia nervosa as well. Results of the diagnostic analysis showed a compound of significant variables respectively for fear of negative evaluation, negative perfectionism, internal attention, fear of positive evaluation and external attention which make a discrimination among three groups.  It could be concluded that the fear of negative evaluation, negative perfectionism, self-focused attention and fear of positive evaluation could distinct occurrence of social anxiety and bulimia nervosa disorders; thus the ttreatment interventions should address these factors.