Testing the cognitive model of eating disorders: The role of dysfunctional beliefs about appearance

Abstract

The cognitive theory of eating disorders posits that dysfunctional attitudes about physical appearance give rise to eating disorder risk factors such as dietary restriction, body dissatisfaction, and valuing of thinness. To test this hypothesis, the relationships between appearance beliefs and dietary restriction, body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, and thin-ideal internalization were examined using structural equation modeling. Beliefs about appearance were concurrently associated with dietary restriction, body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, and thin-ideal internalization, and predicted these variables within each time point and across time points. In contrast, none of the eating disorder risk factors predicted beliefs about appearance either within or across time points. Implications of these results for cognitive theory of eating disorders and eating disorder prevention are discussed.