Eating behaviour, weight status and depressive feelings in female adolescents.

The aim of this study was to examine the attitudes towards food and eating, body image, mood, feelings and relationships in family and peer group in female adolescents with varying weight status in an attempt to explore whether a relationship between emotional difficulties and body weight could be found. The data on use of 81 item measure of emotional difficulties and behavioural symptoms related to eating disorders and dieting in female adolescents aged 15 to 19 years and group of eating disorder patients are reported. The findings suggest that the adolescents who by self-reported weight value appear to be relatively overweight and eating disorder patients score significantly higher on a body dissatisfaction subscale of the applied questionnaire than normal weight and underweight adolescents. Only in the clinical sample of eating disorder patients, however, difficulties in dealing with depressive feelings and fear of poor impulse control were present.