Prospective reciprocal relations between social support and eating disorder symptoms

Prospective studies have found inconsistent relations between social support deficits and future increases in eating disorder symptoms. Furthermore, no prospective study has tested whether elevated eating disorder symptoms predict a future erosion of social support. Accordingly, the current study investigated the prospective reciprocal relations between perceived social support from both parents and peers and eating disorder symptoms in adolescent girls. In this study, 496 adolescent girls reported perceived social support and completed an eating disorder diagnostic interview annually for 7 years. Deficits in perceived peer, but not parental, support predicted future increases in eating disorder symptoms (p = .019, partial r = -.10). Furthermore, initial eating disorder symptoms predicted future reductions in perceived peer support (p = .016, partial r = -.11) but not parental support. Interestingly, these relations became nonsignificant when we controlled for negative affect and body mass index, suggesting that comorbid mood disorders and elevated body weight might partially drive these relations. Although both relations were small in magnitude, these results suggest low perceived peer support is a risk factor for future escalations in eating disorder symptoms and that elevated symptoms may contribute to a further erosion of peer support, creating a cyclical relation that maintains eating pathology. Conversely, high levels of perceived peer support could serve as a protective factor against future increases in eating pathology. These findings should advance interpersonal theories of eating pathology and inform the design of more effective prevention programs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).