Development of eating problems in adolescent girls: A longitudinal study.

Examined the emergence of eating problems in adolescent girls as a function of pubertal growth, body image, personality development, and family relationships. 193 White females and their mothers were seen in middle-school years (M age?=?13.93 years) and 2 years later. Results showed that girls who early in adolescence felt most negatively about their bodies were more likely to develop eating problems (on EAT-26) 2 years later. Concurrently, Time 1 eating problems were associated with body fat, grade, negative body image, and psychopathology, but not family relationships. At Time 2, adolescent body image and internalizing dimensions of psychopathology predicted problem-eating scores, as did maternal body image and depression. Findings are discussed in terms of adolescent patterns of adaptation, developmental psychopathology, and the study's relevance for understanding clinical eating disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)