Objective: The network theory of psychopathology has been described as an "innovative framework" that may "transform" clinical psychological science. Several network studies have identified central eating disorder (ED) symptoms, yet studies have been comprised primarily of women. Using two large samples, we constructed ED symptom networks among men to identify central symptoms.Method: Participants were recruited from three universities and using Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Participants completed the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q), Male Body Attitudes Scale, and Drive for Muscularity Scale.ED symptom networks were jointly estimated among men with (n = 248) and without core ED symptoms (n = 902). Core ED symptoms were defined by (a) scoring above a suggested male EDE-Q clinical cutoff and (b) reporting symptoms consistent with probable ED diagnoses. Expected influence and predictability (proportion of each node's variance explained by other nodes in the network) were calculated for each node.Results: Shape overvaluation, desiring weight loss, fear of losing control over eating, feeling guilty for missing weight training, and using supplements had the greatest expected influence and predictability. Network structures did not significantly differ between participants with versus without core ED symptoms.Discussion: The centricity of body dissatisfaction items in the networks supports some components of cognitive behavioral theories of EDs. However, the findings also suggest the importance of muscularity-and leanness-oriented concerns, which have been traditionally neglected from leading ED theories that tend to focus on thinness pursuits as a main driver of body dissatisfaction.
K E Y W O R D Seating disorder, leanness, men, muscularity, network analysis
Objective: Symptoms of eating disorders have been established as significant concurrent correlates with suicide ideation and behaviors in adolescent samples, but very few studies have examined eating disorder symptoms as prospective risk factors for suicide. The current study examined eating disorder symptoms as prospective risk factors for suicide ideation in an unselected community sample of adolescents.Method: Data were collected from 436 adolescents in middle and high school at baseline and 6-and 12-month follow-ups. Adolescents completed self-report measures assessing eating disorder symptoms and suicide ideation and behaviors at each time point during school hours.Results: Regression analyses found that body dissatisfaction was a significant prospective predictor of suicide ideation severity at the 6-and 12-month follow-ups, symptoms of bulimia nervosa (binge-eating disorder and purging) predicted suicide ideation severity at the 12-month follow-up only, and symptoms of anorexia nervosa (drive for thinness and restricting) were not significant predictors of suicide ideation at either follow-up. Exploratory analyses found the same pattern of results for the sample of girls only, while no significant predictors were found for boys only.Discussion: This is the first longitudinal study of disordered eating and suicide ideation in American adolescents. Symptoms of bulimia nervosa and body dissatisfaction seem to be true risk factors for suicidal ideation. The current study demonstrates the importance of disordered eating behaviors in the development of suicidal ideation in adolescents, particularly for adolescent girls. K E Y W O R D S adolescents, body dissatisfaction, bulimia nervosa, eating disorders, longitudinal, suicide ideation
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