Perceived incompetence and disordered eating among college students

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Eating Disorder Research

Background:

• Ineffectiveness and task-specific failure are linked to disordered eating.
• Perceived incompetence, a feeling of inadequacy in life domains, may offer greater clinical utility.
• Understanding the relationship between perceived incompetence and disordered eating is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate a new measure of perceived incompetence.
• To examine the association between perceived incompetence and disordered eating.
• To explore the clinical implications of this relationship in undergraduate students.

Main Methods:

• Validated a perceived incompetence scale using confirmatory factor analysis and convergent validity with self-esteem measures.
• Administered questionnaires to 403 undergraduate students assessing perceived incompetence, disordered eating, and self-esteem.
• Employed bivariate correlations to analyze the relationship between perceived incompetence in various life domains and disordered eating.

Main Results:

• The perceived incompetence measure demonstrated adequate convergent validity and was deemed appropriate for use.
• Significant correlations were found between perceived incompetence in domains like Appearance, Close Friendships, Morality, and Social Acceptance, and disordered eating.
• Perceived incompetence emerged as a relevant factor associated with disordered eating patterns.

Conclusions:

• The validated measure of perceived incompetence can be utilized in clinical settings.
• Clinicians should consider addressing perceived incompetence in the treatment of disordered eating.
• Interventions may involve developing healthier coping mechanisms or promoting acceptance/reduced focus on perceived incompetent areas.