title: Are perfectionistic concerns an antecedent of or a consequence of binge eating, or both? A short-term four-wave longitudinal study of undergraduate women.
abstract: The perfectionism model of binge eating (PMOBE) posits perfectionistic concerns are a vulnerability factor for binge eating. And evidence indicates perfectionistic concerns and binge eating correlate positively. However, the direction of this relationship is seldom studied. Accordingly, it is unclear whether perfectionistic concerns represent an antecedent of binge eating (a vulnerability effect with perfectionistic concerns predicting increases in binge eating), a consequence of binge eating (a complication effect with binge eating predicting increases in perfectionistic concerns), or both (reciprocal relations with perfectionistic concerns predicting increases in binge eating and vice versa). To address these questions, we studied 200 undergraduate women using a 4-week, 4-wave cross-lagged longitudinal design. Consistent with the PMOBE, perfectionistic concerns predicted increased binge eating (vulnerability effect). But, binge eating did not predict increased perfectionistic concerns (complication effect). Findings support the long-held theory that perfectionistic concerns are part of the premorbid personality of women vulnerable to binge eating.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario N6A 5C2, Canada. Electronic address: msmit454@uwo.ca.
authors.forename: Martin M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford Street, PO BOX 15000, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, 5909 Veterans Memorial Lane, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2E2, Canada.
authors.forename: Simon B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Sherry
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford Street, PO BOX 15000, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada.
authors.forename: Chantal M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Gautreau
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, 5909 Veterans Memorial Lane, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2E2, Canada; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford Street, PO BOX 15000, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada.
authors.forename: Sherry H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario N6A 5C2, Canada.
authors.forename: Donald H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Saklofske
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5E1, Canada.
authors.forename: Aislin R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Mushquash
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002032:Bulimia / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D000072639:Perfectionism; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Binge eating; Cross-lagged analysis; Longitudinal; Perfectionism