Abstract
Clinicians and theorists have suggested a link between child sexual abuse (CSA) and the later development of eating disorders. Finkelhor and Browne (1986) argue that this link is mediated by abuse characteristics, personality variables, and levels of family support. The present study investigated child sexual experiences and family support as predictors of disordered attitudes and behaviors in a well-functioning female college sample. Abused respondents had higher total scores on the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI) than nonabused respondents, but a MANOVA revealed no between-group differences on the EDI subscales. Further, abuse characteristics were either unrelated (e.g., severity) or weakly related (e.g., reaction to abuse) to EDI scores. Family support, especially parental reliability, did predict EDI scores. This was more true for CSA victims. Thus, there appeared to be an interactive relationship between abuse status and family variables in influencing EDI scores.
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