Conducted a prospective longitudinal study to investigate whether anxiety, depressive, personality, or substance abuse disorders increase risk for onset of bulimia nervosa (BN) or binge eating disorder (BED) during adolescence. Findings for 201 adolescents suggest that adolescents with chronic depressive symptoms may be at elevated risk for the…

Investigated the influences of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and ethnic peer group composition on awareness and internalization of socially sanctioned standards of appearance using the Sociocultural Attitudes towards Adolescence Questionnaire. Findings for 208 adolescent females highlight the importance of multiple ecological factors in…

Examined eating disorders in 116 adolescent girls drawn from private school students in a metropolitan area and followed over an 8-year period. Over 25% of the sample identified a serious eating problem. Eating problem patterns were associated with earlier pubertal maturation and higher body fat; concurrent psychological disturbances; subsequent…

A behavioral assessment procedure was evaluated with five children with severe/profound mental retardation who exhibited feeding problems of limited intake. Subjects were fed various types of foods. Results indicated each subject fit into one of four categories: (1) total food refusal, (2) food type selectivity, (3) food texture selectivity, or…

The relationship of parental alcoholism to eating disorder symptomology and substance abuse in a nonclinical sample of college women was examined. In addition, differences among adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) related to level of distress concerning parental alcohol use was examined. Results add additional evidence to the notion that not all…

Presents a flexible prevention program model that operationalizes contemporary theories of female development. Beginning with preadolescents, it teaches girls to recognize when they feel fat and to tell the stories that lie underneath. The program validates feelings, reframes experiences, and provides understanding of societal pressures.…

Physically active adolescent girls and young women who eliminate meat from their diets risk developing protein, iron, and zinc deficiencies. Meatless diets signal the possibility of amenorrhea and/or disordered eating, with the attendant risk of osteoporosis. Physicians must educate young women, parents, and coaches about the risks of meatless…

Investigates the interplay of puberty, gender, weight, and age in regard to body image and disordered eating behaviors and attitudes in a sample of early adolescents. Results reveal that after menarche, females had increased personal expectations and were dissatisfied with weight/shape changes. Young males at puberty desired to build up their…

Examines the difference between undergraduate students who self-reported a high incidence of bulimic-type behaviors and those students who reported a low incidence of bulimic type behaviors. Results show that females exhibiting bulimic behaviors tend to fuse with their families and lack personal authority, whereas males indicated fusion and…

Provides an overview of research about excessive preoccupation with body image, body weight, and dieting in children, adolescents, and young adults. Provides counselor information concerning the continuum from disordered eating to serious eating disorders. Suggests strategies for counselors to utilize when dealing with students experiencing these…

A study involving 570 individuals with mental retardation developed the Screening Tool of Feeding Problems, an assessment designed to identify feeding problems presented by persons with mental retardation, and thus facilitate the process of identifying who would benefit from some type of behavioral or medical intervention. Psychometric data are…

Surveyed black and white college women regarding their eating disorder attitudes and use of cigarettes and alcohol. Black women used substances significantly less than whites. Substance use related to eating disorder symptoms. Women at highest risk of eating disorders reported highest levels of substance use. Negative affect reduction and weight…

Studied maintenance procedures in 201 overweight female participants who completed a very-low-calorie diet. Posed two questions: (1) Would stimulus narrowing during the reintroduction of solid food improve weight losses and the maintenance of those losses? and (2) Would reintroduction of foods dependent on progress in losing or maintaining weight…

Investigates the relationship between the cognitive and behavioral indicators of eating disorders and characteristics of codependency, including exaggerated caretaking and constricted emotion. The role of family environment is investigated through an assessment of separation from parents. Findings are discussed in terms of…

Despite many theorists' assertions and researchers' findings that eating disturbances have personal, sociocultural, and relational correlates, no model of eating disorder symptomatology incorporating all 3 of these domains has been proposed. The purpose of this study, then, was to examine empirically such a model. Personal, sociocultural, and…