title: Direct and indirect effects of stress on bulimic symptoms and BMI: the mediating role of irrational food beliefs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the possible mediating role of irrational food beliefs (IFBs) in the connection between stress and bulimic symptoms and BMI in a subclinical population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were college students (N=356) administered measures of daily hassles, IFBs, and bulimic symptoms. Simple mediation analyses using bootstrapping methods were performed to examine the potential direct effects of stress, and indirect effects of stress through IFBs, on bulimic symptoms and BMI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Daily hassles exerted a direct effect on bulimic symptoms, but not on BMI. Indirect effects of daily hassles, through IFBs, on both bulimic symptoms and BMI were observed. The pattern of results was not altered when gender was included in the models as a covariate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings support a cognitive mediation model of the effects of stress on eating disorder symptoms and body mass through irrational food beliefs in both men and women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Niagara University, NY 14109-2208, United States. tosberg@niagara.edu
authors.forename: Timothy M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Osberg
authors.forename: Meredith
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eggert
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002032:Bulimia / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult