Social and family correlates of eating problems and muscle preoccupation in young adolescents

This study examined the unique contribution of a number of social and familial factors to body change strategies and eating problems in youths. A sample of non-clinical adolescents aged 10 to 16 years (N = 405) completed a modified version of the Children's Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT) and questionnaires for measuring various social and familial factors that may play a role in the etiology of eating problems and muscle preoccupation. Regression analyses indicated that specific eating disorder-related factors (such as the encouragement of peers and parents to lose weight or to become more muscular) and more general factors (such as negative parental rearing behaviors and insecure attachment) made independent contributions to problem eating and muscle preoccupation in youths.