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Bulimia symptoms and risk factors in university students

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Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We proposed a model for bulimic symptoms in a sample of 153 female university students attending the Faculty of Psychology, and determined the extent to which such symptoms could be explained by these variables. The following variables were measured during class time: the effects of aesthetic body modelling, the impact of teasing about weight and other aspects of physical appearance, body dissatisfaction, dieting severity, bulimic symptomatology, depression and self-esteem. The data underwent Lisrel analysis. The final model was similar to that initially proposed. The most important variables in emergent bulimic symptoms were the perceived pressure of aesthetic body modelling, teasing about weight, body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, depression and dieting. All of these play a role in eating disorder symptomatology through various pathways.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Psychology and Social Psychology, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Edifici B. Cerdanyola, 08193, Barcelona, Spain

    M. Mora-Giral, R. M. Raich-Escursell & J. Torras-Clarasó

  2. Department of Methodology and Psychobiology of Health Sciences, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain

    C. Viladrich Segues

  3. School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

    G. Huon

Authors
  1. M. Mora-Giral
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  2. R. M. Raich-Escursell
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  3. C. Viladrich Segues
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  4. J. Torras-Clarasó
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  5. G. Huon
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Mora-Giral, M., Raich-Escursell, R.M., Segues, C.V. et al. Bulimia symptoms and risk factors in university students. Eat Weight Disord 9, 163–169 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03325062

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