title: Longitudinal relationships between financial difficulties and eating attitudes in undergraduate students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Previous research has shown a relationship between financial difficulties and poor mental health in students, but there has been no research examining such a relationship for eating attitudes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A group of 444 British undergraduate students completed the Index of Financial Stress and the Eating Attitudes Test (26-item version) at up to four time points across a year at university.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher baseline financial difficulties significantly predicted higher eating attitudes scores at Times 3 and 4 (up to a year), after adjusting for demographic variables and baseline eating attitudes score. Lower family affluence also predicted higher eating attitudes scores at Time 4 (up to a year). A higher eating attitudes score at baseline also significantly predicted greater financial difficulties at Time 2 (3-4 months). When considering these relationships by gender, they were significant for women only.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Greater financial difficulties and lower family affluence predict a worsening in eating attitudes over time in female students. The relationship appears to be partially bi-directional, with financial difficulties driving poorer eating attitudes in the shorter term.
authors.affiliation: Professional Training Unit, School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom.|Mental Health Recovery Teams, St. Mary's Community Health Campus, Solent NHS Trust, Portsmouth, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.affiliation: Professional Training Unit, School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Glenn
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Waller
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Recovery Teams, St. Mary's Community Health Campus, Solent NHS Trust, Portsmouth, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Lorraine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: eating attitudes; eating disorders; financial difficulties; poverty; socio-economic status