Predictors of bulimic behavior in college women

The body of research on bulimia in clinical and nonclinical populations is steadily growing, and studies using samples of college women indicate that bulimic behaviors such as binge eating and vomiting occur with much greater frequency in the female population than do clinical cases of bulimia. This dissertation examined whether perfectionism, low self-esteem, and perceived pressure from the family to be thin predicted any additional variance in eating-disordered behavior in a sample of college women after variables that were found to be significant in the previous study (i.e., depression, body dissatisfaction, and peer pressure to maintain a thin body shape) had been taken into account. This study also examined whether subtypes of perfectionism accounted for more of the variance in bulimic behavior than a global perfectionism score. Like the previous study, self-reported body dissatisfaction, depression, and peer pressure to maintain a thin body shape were signifícant predictors of bulimic behavior in this sample. Perceived weight-related pressure from the family was also a significant predictor. Although the global measure of perfectionism was not significant, one of the subscales, parental expectations, were found to significantly predict lower levels of bulimic behavior. Parental expectations were also found to moderate the effects of peer influence on bulimic behavior. It is hoped that the results of this study may be useful in identifying useful targets for clinical intervention for women with disturbed eating patterns.