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On the relationship between dieting and "obese" and bulimic eating patterns
1Department of Clinical Psychology and Personality Psychology, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
The International Journal of Eating Disorders
|January 1, 1996
Summary
Emotional and external eating behaviors strongly correlate with bulimia and body dissatisfaction in adolescent females. Restrained eating, however, appears distinct from these patterns and body image concerns.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Eating Disorders
- Adolescent Health
Background:
- Emotional, external, and restrained eating behaviors are recognized patterns associated with disordered eating.
- Body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness are significant psychological factors in the development of eating disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationships between different types of eating behaviors (emotional, external, restrained) and bulimia.
- To examine the associations between these eating behaviors and body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness in adolescent females.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ) and the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI) for assessment.
- The study sample comprised female adolescents.
Main Results:
- High correlations were observed between emotional and external eating behaviors and bulimia.
- Restrained eating showed significant relationships with body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness.
- Factor analyses indicated that the three types of overeating do not represent a single construct.
- Restrained eating was found to be a distinct construct from body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness.
- Low relationships were found between restrained eating and "obese" or bulimic eating patterns.
Conclusions:
- Emotional and external eating are closely linked to bulimic tendencies and negative body image in adolescent females.
- Restrained eating appears to be a separate construct, potentially influenced by measurement artifacts, rather than directly linked to bulimia or severe body dissatisfaction.