Recollections of puberty and disordered eating in young women.
Puberty begins a period of vulnerability for disordered eating that is maintained and amplified through adolescence and early adulthood. In the present study, we test the association between young women's recollections of physical maturation and disordered eating outcomes in early adulthood. Participants comprised N = 421 female undergraduate students at a large, northeastern university in the United States (Mage= 19.7 years). Three models assessed the relative contributions of recollected puberty (perceptions of changes and preparedness, and timing of puberty), current contextual (social support, romantic bond, sorority or sport participation), and demographic (race, socioeconomic status, family structure) variables to three eating-disorder outcomes. Recollections of feeling unprepared and disliking the physical changes of puberty predicted eating disorder symptoms more than any other demographic or current contextual factor. Results indicate that how young women experience the pubertal transition is related to eating disorder symptoms many years later.
The University of British Columbia, BC Children's Hospital, A5-162 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada. Electronic address: smoore@cmmt.ubc.ca.
Sarah R
SR
Moore
University of Pittsburgh, USA. Electronic address: kirstenmckone@pitt.edu.
Kirsten M P
KMP
McKone
Cornell University, USA. Electronic address: jem482@cornell.edu.
Jane
J
Mendle
D000293:Adolescent; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057567:Memory, Long-Term; D011627:Puberty / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
Disordered eating; Menarche; Puberty; Subjective maturation