The current research study is responding to recent findings wherein, Fischer et al. (2013) report a risk rate based on EAT-26 scores in the range of 9.2% to 10.8% at BYU in comparison to the 15% they found reported in the literature using samples from other college campuses. Risk rates based on BSQ scores were reported in the 27.2% to 31.1% range, which was on par with a risk rate of 28.7% reported at a comparable university (Fischer et al., 2013). Fischer et al. (2013) conclude that while body shape concerns were estimated to be equal to or lower than reports at other universities, the level of eating disorder risk was not what would have been expected based on the estimates of other universities of the correlations normally found between EAT-26 and BSQ scores. This qualitative study investigated the experiences of 14 women who were identified as exhibiting high body shape dissatisfaction as determined by the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) and did endorse having disordered eating attitudes or habits as determined by the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26). The In-depth interviews and data analysis were conducted using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis method and aimed at exploring the experiences of these women and what they believe keeps them healthy. Seven themes emerged from the data: Control, Social, Spiritual, Priorities, Exposure to Information, Avoidance, and Food Relationship. The first four themes were further conceptualized as having both a positive, or protective, impact and a negative, or counterproductive, impact on the participants. These four themes contributed to the participants overall Self-concept. The latter three themes, although likely having the same dual potential conceptualization were less compatible with an overall model despite being themes that were emphasized in the transcripts. The theme Control was further conceptualized to depict how the positive/protective impact functioned through a perception of choice and empowerment and how the negative/counterproductive impact functioned through a perception of no choice and disempowerment. Each of these possibilities yielded two potential outcomes for the participants, (a) enforce desired behaviors; or (b) do not enforce desired behaviors. What appears to be most protective against allowing body dissatisfaction to lead to disordered eating attitudes and behaviors is having a sense of self that is accepted by both oneself and by others. Ultimately, the results are a first step in the exploration of protective factors for women with a risk of developing an eating disorder. The results provide potential implications for future research and hint at potential clinical uses, both of which are discussed.

Current empirical evidence suggests that true recovery from eating disorders is not possible without a corresponding improvement in body image and self-esteem. Ten studies in current literature evaluate this relationship between self-esteem and clinical eating disorders during inpatient treatment or during follow-up studies but do not provide both pre- (baseline) and post-treatment self-esteem scores. As a result, many questions about the nature of the relationship between eating disorders and self-esteem remain unanswered. The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate whether a comprehensive measure of self-esteem, given to women at the beginning of inpatient treatment for eating disorders, reliably predicted treatment outcome. Specific and global levels of self-esteem were determined by the Multidimensional Self-Esteem Inventory (MSEI). Pearson Product Moment Correlations run on SPSS 10 were used to determine significant results. Participants in this study included 246 women experiencing anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or eating disorder not otherwise specified who received inpatient treatment at the Center for Change (CFC), in Orem, Utah, during the years 1996 to 2003. For the purposes of this study, outcome was measured upon termination of treatment at the Center for Change. CFC discharge was based on clinical judgment of progression through the treatment program, medical stability, reduction of purging behaviors, body weight, as well as attainment of additional treatment goals designed by the therapist. The results of the current study replicate earlier research that reports that positive treatment outcome is nearly always associated with high self-esteem at discharge. These findings extend earlier research by suggesting that high levels of self-esteem at admission are associated with positive treatment outcome. This investigation, which is the first to examine self-esteem change scores between admission and discharge, found that women who experience the greatest decrease in eating disorder symptomatology are those who presented at admission with low self-esteem. Further, a significant association was found between improvements in self-esteem and decreases in eating disorder symptomatology. These findings suggest that the women who report high self-esteem at admission, or women who have low self-esteem but make dramatic improvements by discharge, are likely to experience significant reductions in disordered eating behaviors.

This study seeks to determine if there are patterns of differences according to college major in terms of the percentage of freshmen women who score in the clinically significant range on a measure of attitude toward body shape. Participants (N = 1,982) completed a demographic questionnaire and the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) and were divided into subgroups according to their stated college major. Descriptive statistics regarding BSQ scores were calculated for the total sample and subgroups. Results indicated that a greater percentage of participants in Theater, Communications, Psychology, Dance, Business, and Dietetics majors scored within clinically significant ranges on the BSQ. Students in these majors may benefit from targeted intervention and prevention efforts to address possible body image dissatisfaction.