The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge and experiences of school counsellors, teachers, and school-based personnel in the area of girls body image. Participants perspectives were described and implications identified for ways in which teachers can encourage positive body image for girls in their classrooms. The idea for this research evolved from my interest in positive self-esteem, and academic and social success. As a teacher, I find that girls (more so than boys) base their success on body image. Girls often turn to harmful health behaviours such as disordered eating or excessive exercise because of dissatisfaction with their bodies (Tiggemann, 2005; ODea, 2000). I hoped to find ways for teachers to foster positive body image, and I believed school counsellors, teachers, and school-based personnel would be a useful source of information on this topic. I brought to this research a desire to hear, understand, and make meaning from these professionals experiences of working with girls.<p>There are a variety of things a teacher can do to create a positive environment in the school setting relating to body image. Focus group participants felt teachers and other school personnel could: <br>(a) openly allow body image discussion in the classrooms either through Talking Circles or Body Talk; <br>(b) promote active lifestyles; <br>(c) promote healthy eating habits; and <br>(d) act as role models by modelling the right examples. <p>Listening and encouraging students can also create a positive environment. The normal development of bodies should be discussed openly in the classrooms. In order to help create positive body images in young girls, participants believed it was important for teachers and school personnel to: participate in empathy training (learning to talk to each other and to listen to each other), educate parents; train physical education teachers; encourage students to write daily journals and critically analyze media literacy.

A wide body of research has investigated the possible pathogenic role of the family in the development of eating disorders. Within the context of the research which places family dynamics at the centre of psychopathology, little research attention has been given to the relationship between parent-adolescent attachment and eating disorders. There is currently no existing South African research in this area. This study aims to redress this balance by exploring the relationship between parental attachment (as measured by the Parental Attachment Questionnaire) and disordered eating (as measured by the Eating Disorders Inventory) among white female adolescents. The sample comprised 209 white female learners from a former 'model C' school in the Durban area. It was found that highly significant negative correlations existed between most of the subscales of the PAQ and EDI. Overall, canonical analysis revealed a significant relationship between parent-adolescent attachment and disordered eating. The relationship between the variables of attachment and disordered eating was very similar regardless of whether the two subscales of the PAQ (Affective Quality of Attachment and Parental Role in Providing Emotional Support) were combined or not. It was found that those adolescents who described their parental relationships as affectively positive and emotionally supportive and viewed their parents as supporting their independence, also described themselves as experiencing low levels of weight preoccupation, low levels of bulimic behaviour and interpersonal distrust, and high levels of personal effectiveness and interoceptive awareness. The above results are discussed in the light of the relevant available literature and research. The methodological and conceptual limitations of the study are explored and provide a basis for recommending possible future research. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1999.

Emotional and external eating are common eating behaviours in the general population, while not disordered eating per se they have been linked to overeating, obesity and problems engaging in health behaviours. Theories of emotional and external eating have been around for decades however little is known of the factors that contribute to these eating behaviours. Emotional and external eating tend to co-occur, and high correlations between them have been reported. Some theorists have argued that they are not distinct constructs. The current study aimed to provide further understanding on the nature and distinction between emotional and external eating in a non-clinical sample. The associations of impulsivity, alexithymia and negative affect in emotional and external eating were investigated, utilising a cross-sectional design. These variables have been shown to be related to eating behaviour in clinical samples however there has been limited research in non-clinical samples. Emotional eating was positively associated with alexithymia, negative affect and lack of perseverance, the relationship with urgency was less clear. External eating was indirectly associated with depression through the mediating variable urgency. The results indicated that emotional and external eating do show some similarities in the variables associated with them, however, the pattern of associations were different for the two eating behaviours. It appears from this study that the theoretical distinction between emotional eating and external eating is warranted with emotional eating appearing to be directly associated with problems with affect regulation whereas external eating is indirectly associated with negative affect.

Eating disorders and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors are characterized by an over-evaluation of weight and shape, under or over-controlled eating, as well as engagement in compensatory behaviors. The disorders are associated with psychological suffering, acute and long-term health impairments, a high rate of suicide attempts as well as an increased risk of mortality. Knowledge regarding the etiology of eating disorders is limited and based on current models it is not possible to adequately predict either who will get an eating disorder or who will recover. This lack of understanding has hindered the development of effective prevention and treatment interventions. The aim of the present thesis was to contribute towards an increased understanding of eating disorders and disordered eating attitudes and behavior through the collection of norms and psychometric data, investigation of risk factors and their roles, and focusing on the understudied group of males with eating disorders. Five studies were included. Specifically, Study I focused on collecting general population and clinical norms on the well-established Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) and the Clinical Impairment Assessment Questionnaire (CIA). Study II both collected general population norms on, and investigated psychometric properties of, the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ-8C), an instrument intended to assess body dissatisfaction. Study III focused on the role of perfectionism (an established risk factor for eating disorders) as a possible mediator or moderator between body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behavior and attitudes. Finally, in Study IV and V attention was placed on males. In Study IV the specific aim was to compare the clinical characteristics between young males and females with eating disorders while in study V the specific aim was to explore variables associated with disordered eating among young males based on a compilation of factors known to play a role among females as well as factors thought to be uniquely associated with males, such as sexual orientation and drive for muscularity. A greater understanding of eating disorders will help reduce the stigma that is associated with eating disorders, easing the way for affected individuals to seek help and ultimately improve the development of effective prevention and intervention.

Eating disorder symptoms are serious and prevalent problems in industrialized societies. Although many studies have individually investigated the influence of environmental factors on the development of eating disorder symptoms, few have considered the relative and cumulative impact of various contexts within the same study. The current study was conducted to examine the influence of the mass media, mothers, and peers on the development of eating disorder symptomology in male and female adolescents using an ecological model proposed by Bronfenbrenner (1977, 1979, 1986, 1988, 1995). Specifically investigated were students' perceptions of pressures exerted by the media and significant others to lose weight and be physically attractive. Tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade adolescents in a suburban community were surveyed through self-report questionnaires; the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT), select subscales of the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2), and a modified version of the Multidimensional Media Influence Scale (MMIS). Multivariate analyses of variance indicated that female students acknowledged higher levels of eating disorder symptomology and higher perceived pressures from mothers and the media than did males. Significant grade level differences were found only in levels of body dissatisfaction between sophomores and juniors. Canonical correlations showed that those students who perceived greater pressures across environmental contexts also reported more eating disorder symptomology. Further analyses of these findings are described. Implications for future research and prevention programs are discussed. / Department of Educational Psychology

Access to abstract is permanently restricted to Ball State community only. / Access to dissertation permanently restricted to Ball State community only. / Department of Educational Psychology

Thesis (M.A. (Voorligtingpsigologie)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Looking at humankind and all the weight issues/problems, researchers ask one question: "Why do some people have problems with compulsive eating?" Throughout the years many studies has been done about Bulimia and Anorexia as eating behaviours, but not a lot of studies have been done about the theological area concerning research on compulsive eating disorders. From a Biblical and Christian-theological perspective, we find that God created the human as a being who is good and pure but as a result of disobedience, we are all sinners. Through sin, humankind is polluted; therefore humankind struggles to be in control of its own nature in itself. Because of sin, the whole trinity and harmony between God and His creation was disturbed. With a plan and a solution, God sent His only beloved Son, Jesus Christ to earth so that He could die for our sins on the cross. Jesus Christ, our Mediator, return to help us restore the balance between food and humankind. Looking at other social science research, we can see that eating disorders have been looked at and discussed in the medical world for at least the last century. An empirical research has been done with persons who believe that they are compulsive eaters. Through research, they discovered that the participants either had a very unpleasant childhood or during adulthood had had very difficult or unhappy relationships. It is because of these reasons that the researcher tried to establish that pastoral counseling could possibly help with healing. It can be a long and hard road to recovery because compulsive eating disorders can also be related to addiction. Research has shown that each person has to work on his/her relationships with him, God our Father, humankind and nature. The counselee has to acknowledge that he has a problem and there must be a deep desire to get healed systematically the counselee gets help/counseling through proposals as well as through deliberation. The counselee has to have a will to get healed as well as have the dedication to get rid of the addiction or habit through the help and strength of our beloved Father. / Thesis (M.A. (Pastoral)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Thesis (M.A. (Voorligtingpsigologie)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Looking at humankind and all the weight issues/problems, researchers ask one question: "Why do some people have problems with compulsive eating?" Throughout the years many studies has been done about Bulimia and Anorexia as eating behaviours, but not a lot of studies have been done about the theological area concerning research on compulsive eating disorders. From a Biblical and Christian-theological perspective, we find that God created the human as a being who is good and pure but as a result of disobedience, we are all sinners. Through sin, humankind is polluted; therefore humankind struggles to be in control of its own nature in itself. Because of sin, the whole trinity and harmony between God and His creation was disturbed. With a plan and a solution, God sent His only beloved Son, Jesus Christ to earth so that He could die for our sins on the cross. Jesus Christ, our Mediator, return to help us restore the balance between food and humankind. Looking at other social science research, we can see that eating disorders have been looked at and discussed in the medical world for at least the last century. An empirical research has been done with persons who believe that they are compulsive eaters. Through research, they discovered that the participants either had a very unpleasant childhood or during adulthood had had very difficult or unhappy relationships. It is because of these reasons that the researcher tried to establish that pastoral counseling could possibly help with healing. It can be a long and hard road to recovery because compulsive eating disorders can also be related to addiction. Research has shown that each person has to work on his/her relationships with him, God our Father, humankind and nature. The counselee has to acknowledge that he has a problem and there must be a deep desire to get healed systematically the counselee gets help/counseling through proposals as well as through deliberation. The counselee has to have a will to get healed as well as have the dedication to get rid of the addiction or habit through the help and strength of our beloved Father. / Thesis (M.A. (Pastoral)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.