No abstract

The present study examined the role of biodevelopmental and psychological factors in the development of disordered eating in early adolescent males and females. Three hundred and six girls (mean age ¼ 13.66 years; SD ¼ 1.12 years) and 297 boys (mean age ¼ 13.89 years; SD ¼ 1.13 years) from grades 7-10 completed a questionnaire which assessed disordered eating, biodevelopmental (body mass index (BMI), age and puberty) and psychological factors (selfesteem, depression, anxiety, ineffectiveness, perfectionism). Not surprisingly, girls were more likely than boys to engage in extreme weight loss behaviours. There were no significant differences between boys and girls on measures of binge eating or bulimic tendencies. Self-esteem, depression and anxiety were found to be significant predictors of disordered eating among girls, while anxiety, ineffectiveness, self-esteem and perfectionism were significant predictors among boys. The findings from this study demonstrate the importance of psychological variables in predicting extreme weight loss behaviours among both adolescent males and females.

The present study was designed to develop a Body Modification Scale (BMS) to measure body change among adolescents and to modify an Excessive Exercise Scale (EES) into a shorter form for adolescents. Two hundred and twenty-one girls and 192 boys from Grades 7 to 10 completed the BMS and the EES. Factor analysis revealed three identical factors for the BMS for girls and boys: weight loss, weight gain, and muscle mass. Two identical factors for girls and boys were also revealed for the EES. Both factor structures were further validated on a separate sample of 286 adolescents (140 girls, 146 boys). The BMS and EES demonstrated excellent reliability (alpha > .86) and high test-retest reliability (alpha > .82) over 1 month. Good concurrent validity was also found for the weight loss factor of the BMS. These findings demonstrate the utility of these two scales for use with adolescents.

No abstract

No abstract