STRESS, COPING, AND DISTURBED EATING ATTITUDES IN TEENAGE GIRLS

Objective: This study explored the relationship between stressors and disturbed eating attitudes among adolescent females, assessing the mod erating role of coping and the mediating influence of poor self-esteem . Method: Two hundred eighty-six teenage girls were recruited from loc al schools, and completed standardized measures of stressors, coping, self-esteem, perfectionism, and disturbed eating attitudes. Regression analyses were used to test for moderating and mediating effects. Resu lts: Stressors and emotion-focused coping were found to be associated with low self-esteem, which in turn was strongly associated with distu rbed eating attitudes. Stressors were also directly related to disturb ed eating attitudes. Discussion: The findings provide partial support for existing models of the etiology and maintenance of eating psychopa thology, but have wider implications for our understanding of the eati ng disorders and their treatment. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.