Contribution of Emotion Regulation to Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating in Early Adolescent Girls

• NCJ Number: 214828
• Journal: Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 35 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2006 Pages: 219-228
• Author(s): Leslie Sim; Janice Zeman
• Date Published: April 2006
• Length: 10 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

In order to examine whether emotional functioning is related to body dissatisfaction and eating disorders, this study assessed emotional regulation (negative emotion, emotional awareness, coping), demographic, and physical (body weight) factors for 234 girls in early adolescence.

Abstract

Compared to younger girls, older girls had higher body mass indexes (weight in relation to height) and reported increased dissatisfaction with their bodies. Age, body mass index (BMI), and negative emotions predicted body dissatisfaction; whereas, BMI, body dissatisfaction, and lack of emotional awareness predicted eating disorders. Girls who reported high levels of disordered eating habits also reported experiencing increased levels of negative feelings, greater difficulties with emotional awareness, and more difficulty in coping constructively with negative emotions than girls who reported low levels of disordered eating. These findings suggest that girls in early adolescence who are dissatisfied with their bodies and who have difficulty identifying their emotional states frequently have eating disorders. These findings suggest the importance of including training in skills in identifying and managing emotions in treating eating disorders linked to dissatisfaction with one's body. The girls in the sample were in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades (average age of 12 years and 11 months). Body dissatisfaction was measured with the Eating Disorder Inventory-Body Dissatisfaction Scale, which measures level of dissatisfaction with one's appearance and body. The Eating Attitudes Test-26 assessed attitudes and behaviors characteristic of eating disorders. The Global Negative Emotionality Scale from the Differential Emotions Scale-IV was used to measure the frequency with which the girls experienced negative emotions; and the Emotion Expression Scale for Children assessed emotional self-awareness. The children's Emotion Management Scale-Coping factor measured girls' ability to manage negative emotions (sadness and anger) through the constructive management of emotional arousal and display. 3 tables and 55 references