Modification of an existing measure of body image preoccupation and its relationship to disordered eating in female college students.

Abstract

Body image disturbance is both positively associated with the development of eating disorders and negatively associated with recovery. However, the aspects of body image most relevant to eating disorders have not been clearly established. Body image preoccupation may be particularly relevant to disordered eating. Yet, its measurement has proven problematic. In Study 1, a modification of the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), a measure of body image preoccupation (P. J. Cooper, M. J. Taylor, Z. Cooper, & C. G. Fairburn, 1987), was developed in a sample of female undergraduates. The BSQ-R-10 yielded reliable and valid scores, and was more strongly related to disordered eating than measures of body image attitudes. In Study 2, the BSQ-R-10 was cross-validated in another sample of female undergraduates, and its psychometric properties further supported.Although clinical eating disorders are relatively uncommon in college women (e.g., Mintz, O'Halloran, Mulholland, & Schneider, 1997, found that approximately 6.6% of college women met diagnostic criteria), subclinical eating disorders are far more prevalent. Some studies have found that as many as 20% of college women report that they have engaged in disordered eating behaviors (e.g., Halmi, Falk, & Schwartz, 1981;Striegel-Moore, Silberstein, Frensch, & Rodin, 1989). Mintz and Betz (1988) found that 61% of college women had some intermediate form of an eating disorder (such as chronic dieting, subclinical bulimia, or bingeing or purging alone). Thus, unhealthy eating behaviors may actually be considered relatively normative among undergraduate women.Previous studies have shown that body image disturbance is one of the most salient features of the eating disorders anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa (Attie & Brooks-Gunn, 1989;Garner, Garfinkel, Rockert, & Olmsted, 1987;Striegel-Moore et al., 1989). Indeed, body image disturbance is one of the criteria that must be present for a clinical diagnosis of anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa to be made (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Moreover, body image disturbance is a significant factor in both the development and outcome of clinical and subclinical eating disor-

Reducing the Risk of Disordered Eating Among Female College Students: A Test of Alternative Interventions

“…The BSQ-10-R was significantly correlated with the EAT (.74) and the BULIT-R (.77). In addition, the correlation between the original BSQ and the BSQ-10-R was .99 (Mazzeo, 1999), suggesting that the shortened version provided a comparable measure of body shape concern. …”

“…Within a sample of female undergraduates, Mazzeo (1999) reported high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .96). Cronbach's alpha in the current study was .97 (Time 1) and .96 (Time 2).…”

“…The total scores range from 1 to 6, and higher scores indicate increased preoccupation (Mazzeo, 1999).…”

“…Within a sample of female undergraduate and graduate students, Petrie et al The 10-item Body Shape Questionnaire-Revised (BSQ-10-R; Mazzeo, 1999) assesses the extent to which one is preoccupied with the size and shape of ones body.…”

Self-Silencing as a Mediator and Moderator of Adult Attachment and Disordered Eating Attitudes

“…Supporting the convergent validity of this instrument, Berland, Thompson, and Linton (1986), also using a clinical sample, demonstrated strong EAT-26 total score correlations with the EAT-40 and Eating Disorder Inventory, Drive for Thinness subscale (EDI; Garner, Olmsted, & Polivy, 1983), r = .90, .77, respectively. Furthermore, Mazzeo (1999) found the EAT-26 and the Bulimia Test-Revised (BULIT-R; Thelen, Farmer, Wonderlich, & Smith, 1991) total scores were highly correlated as well in a non-clinical sample (r = .79). Although the EAT-26 has been described as a measure of anorexia and bulimia, this inventory was not empirically validated in a non-clinical sample for these purposes until fairly recently.…”