Self-esteem, depression and eating disordered attitudes: a cross-cultural comparison between Cypriot and British young women.

The evidence suggests that eating disorders in countries that fall outside the Western template are not immune to eating disturbance as previously thought. This cross-cultural study investigated self-esteem, depression in relation to eating disordered attitudes across similarly constituted samples from two different cultures, Cyprus and Great Britain. Results revealed higher rates of eating disordered attitudes and depressive tendencies in Cypriot women. For both samples, a positive relationship was found between depression and eating disordered attitudes and this relationship was found to be significant. This study explores the native influences and possible vulnerability factors which may contribute in the development of eating disturbances in a non-Western country, Cyprus. Implications for future research are discussed.