In good company: Building resiliency while building relationships in female adolescents with bulimia

Relational aggression (RA), which includes interpersonally manipulative behaviors, has become increasingly prevalent. Outcomes of RA have been linked to numerous psychological difficulties, including bulimia nervosa. Aggressors and victims of RA, as well as individuals with bulimia have limited emotional regulation strategies and skills to cope when angry, as well as difficulties in relationships. These same individuals continue to maintain deficits in having strategies to cope, which may later lead to self-destructive bulimic behaviors. Although there are existing treatments for the bulimia, these treatments fail to incorporate components on how to navigate incidents of RA into their programs. There is a need to incorporate this component into the already established treatments for bulimia. The objective of this dissertation is to increase females' resiliency against bulimia by increasing skills in interpersonal communications and affect regulation, while specifically addressing difficulties with RA.