Behavioral and psychological traits of weight-conscious teenagers: a comparison of eating-disordered patients and high- and low-risk groups.
The present study was designed to test the clinical hunch that members of high-risk groups, such as athletes, have psychological traits similar to persons with eating disorders. Three groups of adolescent females (eating-disordered, athletes, and students) were studied to determine their menstrual, dieting, and exercise patterns and their self-images. Although the three groups fell on a continuum of anorexic-like behaviors, their self-images were not on a similar continuum. Eating-disordered females had the poorest self-images while athletes were the best adjusted of all three groups. Eating-disordered subjects exhibited extremely low scores on emotional tone and social relationships, suggesting that these dimensions of self-image may be characteristic which clearly distinguish the eating-disordered from so-called high-risk persons.
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology*; D001835:Body Weight; D002032:Bulimia / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012306:Risk; D012649:Self Concept; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013177:Sports