Eating‐disorder psychopathology in female athletes and non‐athletes: A meta‐analysis

Objective There is ongoing discussion about whether sports participation is a risk or protective factor for eating disorders (EDs). Research is mixed, with some studies suggesting that athletes have higher mean levels of ED psychopathology compared to nonathletes, while other studies suggest the opp...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The International journal of eating disorders 2022-07, Vol.55 (7), p.861-885
Main Authors: Chapa, Danielle A. N., Johnson, Sarah N., Richson, Brianne N., Bjorlie, Kayla, Won, Ying Q., Nelson, Sarah V., Ayres, Joseph, Jun, Daiil, Forbush, Kelsie T., Christensen, Kara A., Perko, Victoria L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Athletes
body dissatisfaction
disordered eating
Eating disorders
Feeding and Eating Disorders - diagnosis
Female
females
Humans
loss of control
Meta-analysis
Psychopathology
restraint
restricting
review
Sports
Thinness
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Objective There is ongoing discussion about whether sports participation is a risk or protective factor for eating disorders (EDs). Research is mixed, with some studies suggesting that athletes have higher mean levels of ED psychopathology compared to nonathletes, while other studies suggest the opposite effect or no differences. The purpose of the current meta‐analysis was to identify whether female athletes reported higher mean levels of ED psychopathology compared to nonathletes. Method Following PRISMA guidelines, we identified 56 studies that reported ED psychopathology for female athletes and nonathletes. A three‐level random‐effects model of between‐ and within‐study variance was completed for the following outcome variables: overall ED psychopathology, body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, restricting, and loss‐of‐control eating. Results Athletes reported lower levels of body dissatisfaction compared to nonathletes (g = −.21, p 
ISSN:0276-3478
1098-108X
DOI:10.1002/eat.23748