The impact of self loathing on disordered eating attitudes among obese females

• Published in: North American journal of psychology 2011-11, Vol.13 (3), p.539
• Main Authors: Edman, Jeanne L, Yates, Alayne, Araguete, Mara, Draeger, John
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Attitudes; Binge eating; Body mass index; Care and treatment; College students; Community colleges; Cronbach's alpha; Depression, Mental; Diagnosis; Disease control; Eating behavior; Eating disorders; Emotions; Females; Obesity; Personality; Questionnaires; Risk factors
• ISSN: 1527-7143

A number of research studies suggest that psychological problems such as perfectionism, depression, and disordered eating are common among obese women. The present study examined the relationship between perfectionism, self loathing, anger, and eating attitudes among 47 obese and 232 non-obese female college students. As predicted, obese women were found to be at higher risk for pathological eating, as they reported higher levels of drive for thinness and self loathing. However, no differences were found in perfectionism and anger. In contrast to our predictions, perfectionism and anger did not correlate with drive for thinness among obese females. These results suggest that obese women have more disordered eating attitudes than non-obese females, and that the self loathing sub-scale may be a useful screener for risk of disordered eating among women in both weight groups.