The aim of this study was to examine dimensions of body-esteem, Body Mass Index, and their relations with eating disorder symptoms among 42 elite adolescent athletes engaged in competitive synchronized swimming (M = 15.4 yr., SD = 1.2) and to compare them with 40 athletes in sports with no emphasis on leanness (M = 16.5 yr., SD = .93), and 50 nonathlete college female students (M = 16.3 yr., SD = 1.1). They completed the Body-esteem Scale and the Eating Attitudes Test, and the Body Mass Index was computed. Analysis showed synchronized swimmers reported greater negative feelings about their appearance than the two other groups and low perceptions of how others evaluate their physical appearance. Participants did not differ on the EAT-26. Regression analyses showed that Body Mass Index and Body-esteem Appearance accounted for 38% of the variance in log-transformed Dieting scores of synchronized swimmers. Results are discussed in relation to the literature.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AugestandL. B., & FlandersW. D. (2002) Eating disorder behavior in physically active Norwegian women. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 12, 248–255.
2.
BealsK. A. (2004) Disordered eating among athletes: a comprehensive guide for health professionals. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
3.
BeaudoinC.Ste-MarieD. M., & BottaminiG. (2001) Traduction et validation canadienne-française d'une échelle portant sur l'estime de son corps. Avante, 9, 15–20.
4.
BorgenJ. S., & CorbinC. B. (1987) Eating disorders among female athletes. The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 15, 85–89.
5.
BrownellK. D.RodinJ., & WilmoreJ. H. (1992) Eating, body weight and performance in athletes. Philadelphia, PA: Erlbaum & Febiger.
6.
CorbinC. B., & LindseyR. (1997) Concepts of fitness and wellness. Madison, WI: Brown & Benchmark.
7.
DavisC. (1992) Body image, dieting behaviours, and personality factors: a study of high-performance female athletes. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 23, 179–192.
8.
DavisC. (1997) Body image, exercise, and eating behaviors. In FoxK. (Ed.), The physical self from motivation to well-being. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Pp. 143–174.
9.
DavisC., & CowlesM. (1989) A comparison of weight and diet concerns and personality factors among female athletes and non-athletes. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 33, 527–536.
10.
EngelS. G.JohnsonC.PowersP. S.CrosbyR. D.WonderlichS. A.WittrockD. A., & MitchellJ. E. (2003) Predictors of disordered eating in a sample of elite Division I college athletes. Eating Behaviors, 4, 333–343.
11.
FranzoiS. L., & ShieldS. A. (1984) The Body Esteem Scale: multidimensional structure and sex differences in a college population. Journal of Personality Assessment, 48, 173–178.
12.
GarnerD. M.OlmstedM. P.BohrY., & GarfinkelP. E. (1982) The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT): psychometric features and clinical correlates. Psychological Medicine, 12, 871–878.
13.
HallinanC.PierceE.EvansJ.DeGrenierJ., & AndresF. (1991) Perceptions of current and ideal body shape of athletes and nonathletes. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 72, 123–130.
14.
HausenblasH. A., & CarronA. V. (1999) Eating disorder indices and athletes: an integration. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 21, 230–258.
15.
JohnsonC.PowersP. S., & DickR. (1999) Athletes and eating disorders: the National Collegiate Athletic Association Study. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 26, 179–188.
16.
JonesJ. M.BennettS.OlmstedM. P.LawsonM. L., & RodinG. (2001) Disordered eating attitudes and behaviours in teenaged girls: a school based study. Journal de l'Association Médicale Canadienne, 165, 547–552.
17.
KraneV.WaldronJ.Stiles-ShipleyJ. A., & MichalenokJ. (2001) Relationships among body dissatisfaction, social physique anxiety and eating behaviours in female athletes and exercisers. Journal of Sport Behavior, 24, 247–262.
18.
LeichnerP.SteigerH.Puentes-NeumanG.PerreaultM., & GottheilN. (1994) Validation d'une échelle d'attitudes alimentaires auprès d'une population québécoise francophone. Revue Canadienne de Psychiatrie, 39, 49–54.
19.
MazzeoS. E. (1999) Modification of an existing measure of body image preoccupation and its relationship to disordered eating in female college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 46, 42–50.
20.
MendelsonB. K.MendelsonM. J., & WhiteD. M. (2001) Body-Esteem Scale for adolescents and adults. Journal of Personality Assessment, 76, 90–106.
21.
NelsonW. L.HughesH. M.KatzB., & SearightH. R. (1999) Anorexic eating attitudes and behaviours of male and female college students. Adolescence, 43, 621–633.
22.
PetrieT. A. (1996) Differences between males and females: college lean sport athletes, non-lean sport athletes and non-athletes on behavioural and psychological indices on eating disorder. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 8, 218–230.
23.
PicardC. L. (1999) The level of competition as a factor for the development of eating disorders in female college athletes. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 28, 583–594.
24.
PolivyJ., & HermanC. P. (2002) Causes of eating disorders. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 187–213.
25.
Rolland-CacheraM. F.ColeT. J.SempeM.TicketJ.RossignolC., & CharraudA. (1991) Body Mass Index variations: centiles from birth to 87 years. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 45, 13–21.
26.
SiraN. (2003) Body image: relationship to attachment, body mass index and dietary practices in college students. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univer.
27.
SmithiesC. S. (1991) Disordered eating behaviors among synchronized swimmers. In BlackD. R. (Ed.), Eating disorders among athletes: theory, issues, and research. Reston, VA: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Pp. 111–122.
28.
SmolakL.MurnenS. K., & RubleA. E. (2000) Female athletes and eating problems: a meta-analysis. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 27, 371–380.
Sundgot-BorgenJ. (2002) Weight and eating disorders in elite athletes. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Sciences in Sports, 12, 259–260.
31.
Sundgot-BorgenJ., & LarsenS. (1993) Pathogenic weight-control methods and self-reported eating disorders in female elite athletes and controls. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 3, 150–155.
32.
TaylorG., & Ste-MarieD. M. (2001) Eating disorder symptoms in Canadian female pair and dance figure skaters. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 32, 21–28.
33.
ThompsonR. A., & ShermanR. T. (1999) Athletes, athletic performance, and eating disorders: healthier alternatives. Journal of Social Issues, 55, 317–337.
34.
TylkaT. L. (2004) The relation between body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptomatology: an analysis of moderating variables. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 51, 178–191.
35.
TylkaT. L., & SubichL. M. (2002) Exploring young women's perceptions of the effectiveness and safety of maladaptive weight control techniques. Journal of Counseling and Development, 80, 101–110.
