Prospective Psychosocial Predictors of Onset and Cessation of Eating Pathology amongst College Women

The course of college women's eating pathology is variable. Little is known about psychosocial factors prospectively predicting maintenance/cessation or the new onset of clinically significant disordered eating symptoms. This study aimed to address these research gaps. College women (N = 2202) completed an assessment of eating pathology and potential risk/maintenance factors at two time points, 9 months apart. Logistic regression models indicated that elevated body dissatisfaction, thin-ideal internalization, self-objectification, negative affectivity and lower self-esteem at baseline predicted 'onset' of clinically significant disordered eating symptomatology at follow-up. Greater self-esteem and lower initial levels on the remaining risk factors predicted subsequent 'cessation' of clinically significant disordered eating symptoms. Self-objectification had greater explanatory value with regard to 'cessation' and 'onset' relative to the remaining traditionally accepted factors that demonstrated half as much predictive power or less. Practical implications are discussed.