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Psychological Separation, Self‐Control, and Weight Preoccupation Among Elite Women Athletes
Author(s) -
Skowron Elizabeth A.,
Friedlander Myrna L.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of counseling and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.805
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1556-6676
pISSN - 0748-9633
DOI - 10.1002/j.1556-6676.1994.tb00940.x
Subject(s) - athletes , elite athletes , psychology , elite , clinical psychology , eating disorders , population , psychological distress , weight control , distress , medicine , psychiatry , physical therapy , obesity , anxiety , environmental health , endocrinology , politics , political science , law
Given the paucity of research on the prevalence of eating disorders in college athletes, the authors raised two questions: (a) Is weight preoccupation more prevalent among elite women athletes than among their nonathletic counterparts? (b) Does the empirical link between psychological distress and weight preoccupation pertain to elite athletes as well? Results showed that 10.9% of a sample of elite swimmers could be characterized as “weight preoccupied,” a percentage comparable to the general population of college women. In addition, the athletes reported using significantly more benign than punitive self‐control strategies, suggesting for them, weight preoccupation is a means to an end rather than an indication of an eating disorder. Implications for counseling are discussed.