Psychosocial Characteristics in Relation to Disordered Eating Attitudes in Greek Adolescents

Abstract

The study explores possible links between eating attitudes in Greek adolescents and certain psychosocial characteristics such as self-esteem, empathy and anxiety. A total of 202 students (109 boys and 93 girls), 15-18 years old, have been recruited. The following questionnaires were used: the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents, the Multidimensional Body-Self-Questionnaire-Overweight Preoccupation and the Index of Empathy of Children and Adolescents. The EAT-26 revealed that 18.3% of the total sample of students (12.8% of boys and 24.7% of girls) reported having disordered eating attitudes. Adolescents with disordered eating attitudes had significantly higher levels of anxiety and scored less in self-reported physical appearance and romantic appeal. Empathy and global self-esteem did not differ significantly between the two groups. Adolescents with disordered eating attitudes have certain psychosocial characteristics which differentiate them from the students with healthier eating attitudes.