نگرانی بیش از حد درباره وزن و شکل همان نارضایتی از بدن نیست: شواهدی از یک مطالعه آینده نگر از پسران و دختران نوجوان

Overconcern with weight and shape and body dissatisfaction have both emerged as significant predictors of disordered eating. However, it is unclear how these constructs relate to each other, and if each has different antecedents and consequences. This study aimed to identify prospective predictors of each construct and to determine their relative importance in predicting dietary restraint and binge eating. Eight- to 13-year-old boys and girls (N = 259) were assessed at baseline and one-year follow-up, using a range of measures that included the Child Eating Disorder Examination. Psychosocial variables predicted overconcern with weight and shape whilst objective weight predicted body dissatisfaction. Body dissatisfaction and weight and shape concern predicted restraint, and weight and shape concern and restraint predicted binge eating. Findings provide support for the theoretical differences between body dissatisfaction and overconcern with weight and shape, and highlight the importance of focusing on specific body image variables.

Overconcern with weight and shape refers to a preoccupation with, or overconcern about, issues relating to weight and shape, and to the evaluation of self-worth largely in terms of weight and shape or the control of weight and shape (Fairburn, Cooper, & Shafran, 2003). It can be distinguished from body dissatisfaction, which refers to the subjective negative evaluation of one's body or body parts (Stice & Shaw, 2002). Both constructs have been identified as significant predictors of disordered eating and eating disorders (Leon, Fulkerson, Perry, Keel, & Klump, 1999; Stice & Shaw, 2002; The McKnight Investigators, 2003; Wade & Lowes, 2002). Overconcern with weight and shape and body dissatisfaction have not, however, been studied simultaneously in long-term prospective studies. It is thus unclear how the two constructs relate to each other over time, if different variables predict the development of each construct, and if each construct has a different effect on the development and maintenance of disordered eating.