Adverse Life Events on Disordered Eating Behaviors, Negative Self-Regard, and Body Image Disturbance

Individuals with eating disorders typically report greater levels of body dissatisfaction, lower self esteem, and increased body image disturbance. Previous studies have demonstrated the association between eating disorders and negative self-evaluations, highlighting the importance of low self-regard in the development of potentially detrimental eating patterns. The transition from high school to college often induces significant anxiety, disrupting established perceptions and evaluations. Many individuals redirect a universal need for control away from these psychologically stressful situations to areas they can perceive effectiveness, namely eating behaviors and an adjusted body image. The current study observes an association between adverse life events, a distorted self-image, disturbed body esteem, and abnormal eating behaviors in a sample of undergraduate students.