Stress, coping, and disturbed eating attitudes in teenage girls.
OBJECTIVE
This study explored the relationship between stressors and disturbed eating attitudes among adolescent females, assessing the moderating role of coping and the mediating influence of poor self-esteem.


METHODS
Two hundred eighty-six teenage girls were recruited from local schools, and completed standardized measures of stressors, coping, self-esteem, perfectionism, and disturbed eating attitudes. Regression analyses were used to test for moderating and mediating effects.


RESULTS
Stressors and emotion-focused coping were found to be associated with low self-esteem, which in turn was strongly associated with disturbed eating attitudes. Stressors were also directly related to disturbed eating attitudes.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings provide partial support for existing models of the etiology and maintenance of eating psychopathology, but have wider implications for our understanding of the eating disorders and their treatment.
Fryer
S
S
Department of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Waller
G
G
Kroese
B S
BS
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D001290:Attitude; D001828:Body Image; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D012649:Self Concept; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*