Addresses issues related to prevention efforts applied to eating disorders and presents an overview of risk factors that have been identified. Emphasizes the importance of understanding the psychological and physical developmental processes during adolescence and the sociocultural context in which eating disorders develop. Concludes with a summary…

Schools can help in reducing the prevalence of eating disorders among young people by educating students, teachers, and other staff members; using community resources; and providing parents with the reassurance that help is available for the asking. A sidebar lists resources for more information on eating disorders. (MLF)

Tests explanatory power of a sociocultural model in predicting bulimic symptomatology in a sample of college women (N=141). High scores on the Bulimia Test were negatively correlated with scores on the cohesion subscale of the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale. Pressures to diet from family and friends were also found to be…

Examined the differential contributions of two forms of competitive attitude to disordered eating in 198 female Caucasian college students. Results show that it is not competition per se that is a primary contributor to eating disorders but rather a hypercompetitiveness form of competitive attitude. (SLD)

Examined longitudinal community data to test whether body-image and eating disturbances partially explain increased depression in adolescent girls. Found that initial pressure to be thin, thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, dieting, and bulimic symptoms predicted subsequent increased depressive symptoms. There was also prospective…

The connections between body image disturbance and psychological functioning have been well established in samples of older adolescent girls and young women. Little is known, however, about body image in younger children. In particular, little is known about possible gender differences in preadolescent children. The current study explored…

The purpose of this study was to characterize the psychological processes of recovery from binge eating disorder (BED). A model was developed by asking the research question, "What is the experience of recovery for women with BED?" Unstructured interviews were conducted with six women who met the DSM-IV criteria for BED, and who were recovered…

Because little is known about risk factors for obesity, the authors tested whether certain psychological and behavioral variables predicted future onset of obesity. The authors used data from a prospective study of 496 adolescent girls who completed a baseline assessment at age 11-15 years and 4 annual follow-ups. Self-reported dietary restraint,…

An increasing amount of research supports group therapy as an effective treatment option for eating disorders (Moreno, 1994). In an attempt to further delineate therapeutic factors associated with productive group work, this study represents an exploratory, descriptive analysis of client and therapist perspectives on group process and outcome.…

Feeding and mealtime behavior problems are commonly observed among individuals with developmental disabilities. These problems include, but are not limited to, food refusal, food selectivity, mealtime aggression, rumination, pica, and insufficient feeding skills. Difficulties of this type can be associated with life-threatening consequences of…

This article describes the structure and costs of a multidisciplinary hospital-based program for severe eating disorders. The program utilizes multiple levels of care (inpatient, partial day hospital, intensive outpatient, and traditional out patient) to provide continuity of care during the recovery process, which often spans 2 to 3 months of…

This review provides an evaluation of the correlates and/or risk factors associated with disordered eating and the pursuit of muscularity among adolescent boys. One of the main conclusions is that similar factors and processes are associated with both behavioral problems. Several factors found to be consistently associated with disordered eating…

Much of the data reported here regarding American Indian (AI) people has originated from specific areas with particular peoples. Thus, one must be cautious in applying information from one tribe to the hundreds of tribes living across the United States. As with any people, psychiatric disorder may be a pre-existing rationale for using alcohol. Or…

Researchers have debated whether clinical eating disorders are best conceptualized as one extreme along a continuum of degree or as qualitatively different from less severe eating disturbances. Taxometric analysis, a set of procedures that assess the structure of a given disorder by detecting whether a latent taxon exists among its indicators, has…

Objective: The aims of the study were to examine weight concerns, dieting and eating behaviours in a group of Israeli-Arab schoolgirls as compared with Israeli-Jewish schoolgirls, as well as to investigate the reliability of the Arabic (Palestinian) version of the eating disorder inventory-2 (EDI-2). Method: The sample consisted of 2548 Israeli…