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A prospective study of disordered eating among sorority and nonsorority women
Author(s) -
Allison Kelly C.,
Park Crystal L.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/eat.10255
Subject(s) - psychology , disordered eating , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , eating disorders
Objective The current study examined disordered eating prospectively among sorority and nonsorority women. Method University women were surveyed during their first, second, and third undergraduate years. Disordered eating, depression, self‐esteem, body mass index (BMI), and ideal weight were measured. Results Disordered eating did not differ between the groups before women joined sororities. By Time 3, sorority women reported higher Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) Drive for Thinness subscale scores than nonsorority women, but the EDI Bulimia and Body Dissatisfaction subscales did not differ. BMI, ideal weights, depression, and self‐esteem did not differ. Conclusions Women who join sororities are similar to those who do not in their baseline levels of disordered eating, but they maintain more rigorous attitudes and behaviors regarding dieting over the course of their higher education. © 2004 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 35: 354–358, 2004.