title: Body-related social comparison and disordered eating among adolescent females with an eating disorder, depressive disorder, and healthy controls.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between body-related social comparison (BRSC) and eating disorders (EDs) by: (a) comparing the degree of BRSC in adolescents with an ED, depressive disorder (DD), and no psychiatric history; and (b) investigating whether BRSC is associated with ED symptoms after controlling for symptoms of depression and self-esteem. Participants were 75 girls, aged 12-18 (25 per diagnostic group). To assess BRSC, participants reported on a 5-point Likert scale how often they compare their body to others'. Participants also completed a diagnostic interview, Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE). Compared to adolescents with a DD and healthy adolescents, adolescents with an ED engaged in significantly more BRSC (p ≤ 0.001). Collapsing across groups, BRSC was significantly positively correlated with ED symptoms (p ≤ 0.01), and these associations remained even after controlling for two robust predictors of both ED symptoms and social comparison, namely BDI-II and RSE. In conclusion, BRSC seems to be strongly related to EDs. Treatment for adolescents with an ED may focus on reducing BRSC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada. ahamel@sfu.ca
authors.forename: Andrea E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Hamel
authors.forename: Shannon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Zaitsoff
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Rosanne
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Menna
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Le Grange
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: adolescents; anorexia nervosa; bulimia nervosa; eating disorder; social comparison