Weight suppression and weight elevation are associated with eating disorder symptomatology in women age 50 and older: Results of the gender and body image study
Erica L. Goodman MA
Department of Psychology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Search for more papers by this authorJessica H. Baker PhD
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Search for more papers by this authorChristine M. Peat PhD
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Department of Neurosurgery, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Search for more papers by this authorZeynep Yilmaz PhD
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Search for more papers by this authorCynthia M. Bulik PhD
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Department of Nutrition, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Hunna J. Watson PhD
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
School of Psychology, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
School of Paediatrics and Child Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
Correspondence Hunna Watson, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 101 Manning Drive, CB #7160, Department of Psychiatry, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599-7032. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorErica L. Goodman MA
Department of Psychology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Search for more papers by this authorJessica H. Baker PhD
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Search for more papers by this authorChristine M. Peat PhD
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Department of Neurosurgery, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Search for more papers by this authorZeynep Yilmaz PhD
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Search for more papers by this authorCynthia M. Bulik PhD
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Department of Nutrition, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Hunna J. Watson PhD
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
School of Psychology, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
School of Paediatrics and Child Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
Correspondence Hunna Watson, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 101 Manning Drive, CB #7160, Department of Psychiatry, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599-7032. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorFunding information: NIH, Grant Number: NIHK01MH106675
Abstract
Objective
Weight suppression (WS), the difference between highest past non-pregnancy weight and current weight, predicts negative outcomes in eating disorders, but the impact of WS and related weight constructs are understudied in nonclinical, midlife populations. We examined WS (current weight < highest weight) and weight elevation (WE), the opposite of WS (current weight > lowest weight) and their associations with eating psychopathology in women aged 50+.
Method
Participants were a community-based sample (N = 1,776, Mage = 59) who completed demographic and eating psychopathology questions via online survey. WS, WE, and WS × WE were tested as predictors of outcome variables; BMI and medical conditions that affect weight were controlled for.
Results
Individuals that were higher on WS and WE were most likely to engage in current weight loss attempts, dieting in the past 5 years, and extreme lifetime restriction. Individuals with higher WS were more likely to experience binge eating, greater frequency of weight checking, overvaluation of shape and weight, and lifetime fasting. Individuals with higher WE were more likely to report negative life impacts of eating and dieting. Higher WS and WE each predicted higher levels of skipping meals over the lifetime.
Discussion
This novel study investigated WS in midlife women and introduced a new conceptualization of weight change (WE) that may be more relevant for aging populations given that women tend to gain weight with age. The findings implicate the utility of investigating both WS and WE as factors associated with eating psychopathology in midlife women.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Dr. Bulik is a grant recipient from Shire Pharmaceuticals and has served on their Advisory Board. Dr. Peat is a consultant for Sunovion Pharmaceuticals.
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