Same pie, different portions: shape and weight-based self-esteem and eating disorder symptoms in a Georgian sample

Linking body esteem to eating disorders among adolescents: A moderated mediation model

This study explored the roles of social appearance anxiety and emotional intelligence in the relationship between body esteem and eating-disorder risk among adolescents. A total of 2509 high-school students were sampled to participate in the study. Statistical methods mainly involved descriptive statistics, Bootstrapping, and structural equation modeling analyses. The results showed that social appearance anxiety partially mediated the relationship between body esteem and eating-disorder risk among adolescents; meanwhile, emotional intelligence moderated the effects of body esteem on social appearance anxiety and eating-disorder risk among adolescents.

An exploration of eating disorders in a Georgian sample

BACKGROUND

There is debate as to whether eating disorders may be culture-bound. However, accumulating evidence suggests that eating disorders may be found outside of the West, although the precise form of the eating disorder may differ.

AIMS

There were two aims of this study: (1) to translate and establish the psychometric properties of standard questionnaires to measure eating pathology in a Georgian sample; (2) to use these measures to determine whether cases of eating disorders exist in Georgia.

METHODS

We held focus groups of various health professionals to establish how eating disorders present in Georgia and to identify groups perceived to be at high risk of having an eating disorder. We obtained translated versions of a number of standardized questionnaires (measuring eating and general psychopathology) from 245 women from these identified high risk groups and a subsample were given a structured clinical interview.

RESULTS

We estimated from the responses to the questionnaires, that as many as 5% may have clinically significant bulimia nervosa, 7% fell in the weight range for anorexia nervosa with a further 7% in the weight range for obesity. We interviewed a sample of the high scoring group which confirmed the presence of clinically significant eating pathology in the majority of those identified as possible cases.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study suggest there may be women in Georgia with significant eating problems.