Protective self-presentation style: association with disordered eating and anorexia nervosa mediated by sociocultural attitudes towards appearance.
OBJECTIVE
We tested the hypothesis that a protective self-presentation style (Lennox and Wolfe, 1984) is associated with eating pathology and anorexia nervosa (AN) and that this association is mediated by sociocultural attitudes towards appearance emphasizing the thin ideal.


METHODS
We compared the protective-presentation style of women with AN (N=17), partially recovered women (N=110), fully recovered women (N=73), and female controls (N=374).


RESULTS
Ill women had a more protective self-presentation style than partially or fully recovered women, who in turn had a more protective self-presentation style than controls. Sociocultural attitudes towards appearance fully mediated the association between protective self-presentation and disordered eating.


CONCLUSIONS
Protective self-presentation may therefore be a risk factor for AN and/or a prognostic factor. Implications for therapy and prevention are discussed.
Psychology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem 91905, Israel. msrbach@mscc.huji.ac.il
R
R
Bachner-Melman
A H
AH
Zohar
Y
Y
Elizur
I
I
Kremer
M
M
Golan
R
R
Ebstein
D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology*; D001290:Attitude; D001828:Body Image; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology; D003358:Cosmetics; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008402:Mass Media; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D010379:Peer Group; D010551:Personality; D010553:Personality Development; D011287:Prejudice; D011379:Prognosis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012649:Self Concept; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013851:Thinness
D003358:Cosmetics