M.A. / Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterised by an intense fear of gaining weight, a refusal to maintain a minimally normal body weight and a significant disturbance in the perception of the shape or size of his or her body (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Anorexia nervosa typically begins in mid-to-late adolescence (age 14-18 years). Follow-up studies show that only 10% of those with anorexia nervosa fully recover. While almost half may show partial recovery, many continue to be seriously impaired by depression, social phobias or recurrent symptoms (Herzog et al., 1993). Early onset (before 16) may be associated with a less negative prognosis, although a far from favourable one (Theander, 1996). Considerable clinical literature exists on the etiology of anorexia nervosa, but for the purpose of the current study cognitive factors that may relate to anorexia nervosa were examined. Specifically, the study focused on two self-evaluations: self-efficacy and self-esteem. Generalized self-efficacy can be defined as a global confidence in one's coping ability across a wide range of demanding or novel situations (Schwarzer, 1993). Self-esteem is defined as the evaluation that the individual makes and customarily maintains with regard to himself/ herself (Rosenberg, 1965). To ascertain levels of self-efficacy and self-esteem, the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) (Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1993) and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) (Rosenberg, 1965) were administered in an experimental group of white adolescent girls diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (n=24) as well as a control group (n=24). An ex-post-facto experimental control group correlational design was implemented, andtwo-tailed t-tests conducted to determine the significance of differences regarding levels of self-efficacy and self-esteem between the two groups. The results indicated that there was no significant difference between the experimental group and control group with regard to their levels of self-efficacy. However, the experimental group exhibited lower levels of self-esteem in comparison to the control group. These results indicate that generalized self-efficacy, as a cognitive self-evaluation on its own, does not distinguish between adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa and a control group, and that domain-specific self-efficacy should also be considered in future research. The results further confirmed that girls diagnosed with anorexia nervosa exhibit lower levels of self-esteem as suggested in previous research (e.g. Wilksch & Wade, 2004). With regard to future research, larger groups are needed to elaborate on the current findings. Furthermore, additional research investigating the role of other aspects of self-esteem such as outer self-esteem and inner or trait self-esteem, as well as other aspects of self-efficacy such as domain specific self-efficacy, could contribute to the current findings.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:14672 |
| Date | 12 November 2008 |
| Creators | Sassoon, Esther |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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