ACCULTURATION, BODY-IMAGE, SELF-ESTEEM, AND EATING-DISORDER SYMPTOMATOLOGY IN ADOLESCENT MEXICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN

In this article the relationship among acculturation, body image, self esteem, and eating disorder symptomatology in 120 Mexican American ad olescent women was investigated. Surprisingly, acculturation levels we re not related to anorexic or bulimic symptomatology, self-esteem, bod y dissatisfaction or thinness of ideal and attractive figures. Lower l evels of self-esteem predicted higher levels of anorexic and bulimic s ymptomatology. Body mass was positively related to bulimic scores. In contrast to Lester and Petrie (1995), body dissatisfaction was signifi cantly related to eating-disorder symptomatology. The high levels of d isordered eating attitudes and behaviors found in this study suggest t hat rather than exclusively being an Angle, middle- to upper-class phe nomenon, eating-disordered behavior also exists within lower socioecon omic status Mexican American adolescent women.