Cross lagged analysis of body shame, abnormal eating behavior and eating disorder tendency among adolescents / 中国学校卫生

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To understand the longitudinal relationship between body shame, abnormal eating behavior and eating disorder tendency of adolescents, so as to provide reference for the intervention of eating problems among adolescents.@*Methods@#From September 2020, a total of 1 097 students from two high schools and two universities in Heilongjiang Province were investigated for three times (T1, T2 and T3) with an interval of 9 months. Adolescents completed the Chinese Body Shame Scale，the Chinese Version of Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire and the Sick, Control, One, Fat, Food(SCOFF) questionnaire. A cross lag analysis was used to explore the relationship between body shame, abnormal eating behavior and eating disorder tendency.@*Results@#The body shame, abnormal eating behavior and eating disorder tendency of adolescents showed an upward trend, but only the main effect of time on abnormal eating behavior was statistically significant ( F=3.78, P＜0.05, η 2=0.18), and the main effect of gender on three variables were statistically significant ( F=18.06, 30.48, 25.09, P ＜0.01). There were significant and positive correlations between body shame, abnormal eating behavior and eating disorder tendency at three wave survey (T1 r =0.34-0.58, T2 r =0.35-0.56, T3 r =0.33-0.53, P ＜0.01). Body shame could predict abnormal eating behavior across time ( β T1-T2 =0.13, β T2-T3 =0.08, P ＜ 0.05), and the predictive effect was stronger in female ( β T1-T2 =0.16, β T2-T3 =0.12, P ＜0.05), only the effect between T1 and T2 was significant in male ( β T1-T2 =0.09, P ＜0.05). Abnormal eating behavior ( β T1-T2 =0.14, β T2-T3 =0.15, P ＜0.01) and eating disorder tendency ( β T1-T2 =0.26, β T2-T3 =0.24, P ＜0.01) had cross time predictive effect. Abnormal eating behavior showed a mediating effect on the association between body shame and eating disorder tendency ( β ab =0.019, 95% CI=0.006-0.047, P ＜0.05), and the mediating effect was stronger in female ( β ab =0.029, 95% CI=0.008-0.053, P ＜0.05).@*Conclusion@#Adolescents body shame positively predicts abnormal eating behavior. Abnormal eating behavior and eating disorder tendency interact with each other, and body shame can indirectly affect eating disorder tendency through acting on abnormal eating behavior.