Verschueren Margaux, Claes Laurence, Bogaerts Annabel, Palmeroni Nina, Gandhi Amarendra, Moons Philip, Luyckx Koen
Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
Front Psychol. 2018 Jun 4;9:816. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00816. eCollection 2018.
Eating disorder symptomatology, comprising both psychological and behavioral aspects of subclinical eating concerns, constitutes a clear precursor of developing eating disorders. It is crucial to investigate its antecedents and correlates to subsequently inform eating disorder prevention programs. The present study focused on identity formation, a core developmental task in adolescence, that has increasingly been linked to eating disorder development. Our main aim was to examine the temporal sequence between eating disorder symptomatology and identity formation. Data on eating disorder symptomatology and identity formation were collected in 530 high school students (at Time 1: mean age = 15 years; = 1.84; range: 12-18 years; 50.6% females) using self-report questionnaires at three annual measurement points. Cross-lagged structural equation modeling was performed to examine the directionality of effects. Results indicated bidirectional effects between eating disorder symptomatology and identity formation. Identity confusion seemed to increase vulnerability to body dissatisfaction and bulimia symptoms, whereas identity synthesis seemed to protect against their development. Additionally, identity synthesis seemed to protect against the development of drive for thinness as well. At the same time, body dissatisfaction and bulimia symptoms positively predicted identity confusion and negatively predicted identity synthesis over time. The present study adds to the growing body of literature on identity and eating disorders by focusing on their temporal interplay in a community sample of adolescents. As bidirectional effects emerged, a greater emphasis on identity formation in eating disorder prevention programs is advocated.
饮食失调症状学，包括亚临床饮食问题的心理和行为方面，是发展为饮食失调的明确先兆。研究其前因和相关因素对于随后为饮食失调预防项目提供信息至关重要。本研究聚焦于身份认同形成，这是青少年时期的一项核心发展任务，它与饮食失调的发展越来越相关。我们的主要目的是研究饮食失调症状学与身份认同形成之间的时间顺序。在三个年度测量点，使用自我报告问卷收集了530名高中生（时间1：平均年龄 = 15岁；标准差 = 1.84；范围：12 - 18岁；50.6%为女性）的饮食失调症状学和身份认同形成的数据。进行交叉滞后结构方程模型分析以检验效应的方向性。结果表明饮食失调症状学与身份认同形成之间存在双向效应。身份认同混乱似乎会增加对身体不满和暴食症状的易感性，而身份认同整合似乎能预防它们的发展。此外，身份认同整合似乎也能预防追求瘦身的发展。同时，随着时间的推移，身体不满和暴食症状正向预测身份认同混乱，负向预测身份认同整合。本研究通过关注青少年社区样本中身份认同与饮食失调的时间相互作用，为关于身份认同和饮食失调的不断增长的文献增添了内容。由于出现了双向效应，提倡在饮食失调预防项目中更加强调身份认同形成。
