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theses

Although research has employed traditional statistical approaches to identify risk factors that may be targeted in eating disorders prevention, the current paper seeks to analyze such risk factors through the use of network analysis in a sample of women who underwent the Body Project. It was hypothesized that targeted risk factors (e.g., thin-ideal internalization) would be connected to more proximal risk factors (e.g., body satisfaction) which would be connected to observable bulimic symptomology (e.g., episodes of binge-eating and purging). Additionally, it was hypothesized that weight and shape concern would share edges with bulimic symptomatology and to risk factors, as over-evaluation of shape and weight is a transdiagnostic mechanism that maintains eating disorders. The second aim of this research was to test whether this network significantly changed as a result of the intervention through the use of network comparison analysis. Finally, analyses sought to evaluate whether network structures differed between those who endorsed binge eating at baseline and those who did not. Network analyses revealed no edge between thin-ideal internalization and other risk factors at an edge threshold of 0.2. Additionally, no risk factors shared edges with bulimic symptomatology although they shared edges with shape and weight concern. Finally, network comparison revealed no difference between network structures derived from those who endorsed binge eating at baseline versus those who did not. Results suggest that a theoretical target of thin-ideal internalization may be less central to a network of eating disorder risk factors. Instead, the success of the Body Project may be attributed to its effect on other factors.

ETD_8545

M.S.

Includes bibliographical references

by Maribel Plasencia

doi:10.7282/T3VH5S2B

ETD graduate

The author owns the copyright to this work.