Appearance issues, depression, and disordered eating among college females

Priscilla N Gitimu,Rachel Pohle-Krauza,Tacibaht Turel,Jeanine Mincher,Janice Elias,Molly M Jameson,Zara Rowlands,Traci Craig

doi:10.1080/23311908.2016.1196512

Priscilla N Gitimu, Rachel Pohle-Krauza + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2016.1196512

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Abstract

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to examine how various appearance issues and depression may relate to disordered eating among female college students. The appearance issues analyzed in this study were: level of body dissatisfaction, body mass index (BMI), social appearance anxiety (SAA), and social-cultural attitudes toward appearance. The questionnaire was distributed to volunteer students during regularly scheduled classes. Students, both study participants and non-participants, were furnished with information on where to get help if they had concerns about disordered eating behavior, appearance-related anxiety, or depression. Participants were 370 female undergraduate students enrolled at one Midwestern University in the United States. This study provided statistical evidence that college females at risk of acquiring an eating disorder had significantly larger differences between their current body shape and their ideal body shape, scored significantly higher in the sociocultural attitudes toward...

Highlights

One’s beliefs in what constitutes a beautiful appearance develop in the context of several sociocultural factors, such as unrealistic media images of female attractiveness (Clay, Vignoles, & Dittmar, 2005) that promote singular ideals of beauty
Theoretical perspective The current study looked at appearance issues, depression, and disordered eating through the lenses of three theories and their modern day interpretations: social comparison theory by Festinger (1954), self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987), and the normative discontent theory (Rodin, Silberstein, & Striegel-Moore, 1984)
Body dissatisfaction and body mass index (BMI) A large number of the participants, 68.6% (N = 254), reported an ideal body shape smaller than their current body shape, and of these 21.3% (N = 54) reported Eating attitude test (EAT)-26 scores that would characterize them as at-risk for acquiring an eating disorder

Summary

Introduction

One’s beliefs in what constitutes a beautiful appearance develop in the context of several sociocultural factors, such as unrealistic media images of female attractiveness (Clay, Vignoles, & Dittmar, 2005) that promote singular ideals of beauty. There is extensive evidence that sociocultural pressure and appearance insecurity can predispose one to disordered eating behavior (Clay et al, 2005; Thompson, van den Berg, Roehrig, Guarda, & Heinberg, 2004; Tiggermann, Verri, & Scaravaggi, 2005; White & Halliwell, 2010). Social appearance anxiety (SAA) is a significant predictor of appearance dissatisfaction, disordered eating behavior, and concerns about shape and weight (Levinson & Rodebaugh, 2012). Depression is a significant predictor of disordered eating behavior, and the incidence is high among women (Liechty & Lee, 2013). Eating disorders are a set of severe illnesses in which one is excessively concerned about body shape, appearance and weight, and as a result, is immersed in extreme dieting habits which prevent sufficient food intake. Before one fits the diagnostic criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) for an eating disorder, one may engage in a disordered eating behavior, which encompasses unhealthy eating habits that may include restrictive dieting, skipping meals, or compulsive overeating. (Fitzsimmons-Craft, Ciao, & Accurso, 2016)

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