A Mehak1, S E Racine2. 1. Department of Psychology, McGill University, 2001 Ave. McGill College, Rm. 1411, Montreal, QC, H3A 1G1, Canada. 2. Department of Psychology, McGill University, 2001 Ave. McGill College, Rm. 1411, Montreal, QC, H3A 1G1, Canada. sarah.racine@mcgill.ca.
Abstract
PURPOSE: 'Feeling fat,' the somatic experience of having excess body weight that is not fully explained by true adiposity, correlates with eating pathology in clinical and non-clinical samples. It is unknown whether 'feeling fat' more strongly relates to specific eating disorder symptom dimensions that typically characterize anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and/or binge eating disorder. Understanding the significance of 'feeling fat's relationship with specific eating disorder symptom dimensions-cognitive restraint, dietary restriction, binge eating, and purging-may suggest its relevance to particular forms of eating pathology and elucidate treatment directions for addressing 'feeling fat'. METHODS: Questionnaires were completed by 989 undergraduates (54.3% female). RESULTS: Path analyses indicated significant associations between feeling fat and all symptom dimensions; these paths were not moderated by gender. The best fitting model was the model including paths from 'feeling fat' to all symptom dimensions; no other model had equivalent fit. CONCLUSION: 'Feeling fat' relates to all examined symptoms of eating disorders in a mixed-gender non-clinical population. These results indicate that 'feeling fat' is associated with multiple core symptoms of eating pathology, pointing to 'feeling fat's significance to eating pathology maintenance across the spectrum of eating pathology. Future research should compare the influence of 'feeling fat' on these symptoms in mixed-gender clinical samples. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.
PURPOSE: 'Feeling fat,' the somatic experience of having excess body weight that is not fully explained by true adiposity, correlates with eating pathology in clinical and non-clinical samples. It is unknown whether 'feeling fat' more strongly relates to specific eating disorder symptom dimensions that typically characterize anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and/or binge eating disorder. Understanding the significance of 'feeling fat's relationship with specific eating disorder symptom dimensions-cognitive restraint, dietary restriction, binge eating, and purging-may suggest its relevance to particular forms of eating pathology and elucidate treatment directions for addressing 'feeling fat'. METHODS: Questionnaires were completed by 989 undergraduates (54.3% female). RESULTS: Path analyses indicated significant associations between feeling fat and all symptom dimensions; these paths were not moderated by gender. The best fitting model was the model including paths from 'feeling fat' to all symptom dimensions; no other model had equivalent fit. CONCLUSION: 'Feeling fat' relates to all examined symptoms of eating disorders in a mixed-gender non-clinical population. These results indicate that 'feeling fat' is associated with multiple core symptoms of eating pathology, pointing to 'feeling fat's significance to eating pathology maintenance across the spectrum of eating pathology. Future research should compare the influence of 'feeling fat' on these symptoms in mixed-gender clinical samples. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.
Authors: Jake Linardon; Andrea Phillipou; David Castle; Richard Newton; Philippa Harrison; Leonardo L Cistullo; Scott Griffiths; Annemarie Hindle; Leah Brennan Journal: Body Image Date: 2018-04-10
Authors: Kathryn A Coniglio; Kendra R Becker; Nassim Tabri; Ani C Keshishian; Joshua D Miller; Kamryn T Eddy; Jennifer J Thomas Journal: Eat Behav Date: 2018-07-17
Authors: Sarah Young; Stephen Touyz; Caroline Meyer; Jon Arcelus; Paul Rhodes; Sloane Madden; Kathleen Pike; Evelyn Attia; Ross D Crosby; Jackie Wales; Phillipa Hay Journal: Int J Eat Disord Date: 2016-10-03 Impact factor: 4.861