A longitudinal study of disordered eating in Australian adolescents: Modelling psychosocial and individual risk factors

Abstract

Objective To test whether a sociocultural pathway model was predictive of a) disordered eating (DE) behaviour concurrently (Time 1[T1];age 12-13) and b) DE behaviour longitudinally (Time 2[T2];age 15-16). A further aim was to assess whether the risk factors included in the final model were moderated by negative emotionality. Method Participants included 508 adolescent girls assessed through the Australian Temperament Project (ATP). Predictor variables comprised sociocultural pressure, thin-ideal internalisation, negative comparisons and body dissatisfaction. DE was assessed through the EDI-2 subscales drive for thinness and bulimia. Results The model fit for the final Structural Equation Model (SEM) provided an acceptable fit, [2(28)=105.88,p <0.05) and DE at T1 (=56;p