Ej. Button et al., A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY OF SELF-ESTEEM IN THE PREDICTION OF EATING PROBLEMS IN ADOLESCENT SCHOOLGIRLS - QUESTIONNAIRE FINDINGS, British journal of clinical psychology, 35, 1996, pp. 193-203
A number of authors have emphasized the importance of self-esteem in t
he aetiology of the eating disorders anorexia nervosa and bulimia nerv
osa. Evidence for such theorizing, however, mainly derives from clinic
al observations on people being treated for eating disorders. This stu
dy is the first prospective study to investigate the role of self-este
em in aetiology prior to the onset of an eating disorder. Self-esteem
was measured in 594 schoolgirls aged 11-12 using the Rosenberg Self-Es
teem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965). Almost 400 of these girls were successfu
lly followed up at age 15-16 and they completed a questionnaire examin
ing eating and other psychological problems. Results showed that girls
with low self-esteem at age 11-12 were at significantly greater risk
of developing the more severe signs of eating disorders, as well as ot
her psychological problems, by the age of 15-16. It is argued that mor
e research is needed to replicate and extend these findings. The resul
ts also give weight to the case for examining the potential role of se
lf-esteem enhancement in the prevention of eating disorders.