Body mass index and some psychopathological symptoms in open community nuns.

This article examines the connections between body weight and psychopathological symptoms in a religious community. The Symptom Checklist 90-Revised was administered to 34 nuns, whose body mass index (BMI) values significantly correlated with hostility (r=0.46, p<0.01). These findings support the idea that people living in open religious communities share social values regarding weight and body size, and reveal high levels of psychological discomfort when body weight increases.