The aim of this study was to examine dimensions of body-esteem, Body Mass Index, and their relations with eating disorder symptoms among 42 elite adolescent athletes engaged in competitive synchronized swimming (M = 15.4 yr., SD = 1.2) and to compare them with 40 athletes in sports with no emphasis on leanness (M = 16.5 yr., SD = .93), and 50 nonathlete college female students (M = 16.3 yr., SD = 1.1). They completed the Body-esteem Scale and the Eating Attitudes Test, and the Body Mass Index was computed. Analysis showed synchronized swimmers reported greater negative feelings about their appearance than the two other groups and low perceptions of how others evaluate their physical appearance. Participants did not differ on the EAT-26. Regression analyses showed that Body Mass Index and Body-esteem Appearance accounted for 38% of the variance in log-transformed Dieting scores of synchronized swimmers. Results are discussed in relation to the literature.

The aims of the present study were to determine the extent to which unhealthy compensatory behaviours are observed in synchronized swimmers, and to examine the relationships between perfectionism, body-esteem dimensions, and restrained eating. Thirty-three elite adolescent synchronized swimmers completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS-H), the Body-Esteem Scale, the Dietary Restraint Scale, and a self-report questionnaire during their pre-competitive period. The participants reported that they perceived themselves to be overweight, that they used weight loss methods such as selfinduced vomiting, fasting, and intensive exercise, and unhealthy weight control behaviours such as skipping meals. The swimmers attributed the pressure to lose weight to team-mates, coaches, and themselves. Results showed that self-oriented perfectionism was significantly associated with dietary restraint and that body-esteem weight satisfaction has a mediator role between self-oriented perfectionism and dietary restraint. Additional research is required to examine the thrust of these results and the effectiveness of interventions that help prevent disordered eating patterns.