SHAPE-BASED AND WEIGHT-BASED SELF-ESTEEM AND THE EATING DISORDERS

Objectives: To determine the psychometric properties of the Shape- and Weight-Based Self-Esteem (SAWBS) Inventory in women with eating disor ders, and to compare SAWBS scores in women who have eating disorders w ith women from psychiatric and normal control groups. Method: Women wi th eating disorders (n = 48), women with other psychiatric disorders ( n = 44), and undergraduate control women (n - 82) completed the SAWBS Inventory and measures of depression, self-esteem, and eating disorder symptomatology. Twenty women from the eating disorder group completed the SAWBS Inventory a second time I week later. Results: Similar to p revious work in undergraduate samples, SAWBS scores were stable over I week, and demonstrated concurrent and discriminant validity in women with eating disorders. In between-group comparisons, SAWBS scores were higher among women with eating disorders than in either control group , even after controlling for age, socioeconomic status, body mass inde x, and self-esteem. A differing relationship between depression and SA WBS emerged as a function of group; SAWBS scores differed significantl y among depressed, but not nondepressed women from the three groups. C onclusion: The psychometric properties of the SAWBS Inventory were est ablished in women with eating disorders. As expected, SAWBS scores wer e higher in women with eating disorders than in the control groups. Cl inical implications of these findings are discussed. (C) 1998 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.