Weight preoccupation in middle school, high school and college females : the influence of self-esteem and locus of control

Much of the prior empirical and theoretical literature has focused on the impact of low self-esteem and external locus of control in the etiology of clinical eating disorders.- This study examined the influences of these variables and their impact on weight preoccupation in three different school group samples of females. Three hundred, seventy-eight female participants from middle school (N=98), high school (N=96), and college (N=184) were administered the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-40), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and the Children\u27s Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Locus of Control Scale (CNSIE). The EAT-40 was used to dichotomize the three school groups (i.e., middle school, high school, college) into weight preoccupied (WP) and non-weight preoccupied (NWP) groups for comparisons using the dependent variables of self-esteem \ and locus of control. Additionally, the effect of low self-esteem and external locus of control was examined for its effect on weight preoccupation. Pearson Product-Moment· correlations revealed that: (a) there was a significant relationship between female participants\u27 ratings of self-esteem and weight preoccupation at all three school group levels; and (b) there was a significant relationship between locus of control and weight preoccupation in females in the middle school and high school groups, but not at the college level. Analysis of variance (ANOV A) indicated that: (a) there were significant differences in self-esteem between WP and NWP females in the college and high school groups; (b) there were no significant differences in self-esteem within the NWP group; (c) there were significant differences in self-esteem within the WP group; (d) there was a significant difference in locus of control between WP and NWP females in the high vii school group; (e) there were no significant differences in locus of control within the NWP group; and (f) there were significant differences in locus of control within the WP group. In a supplemental regression analysis, the variables of locus of control (as measured by CNSIE), self-esteem (as measured by RSES), and weight differential, were significant predictors of weight preoccupation (as measured by the EAT-40) in the middle school and high school groups. Results from this study were discussed in relation to what is· known about age-related differences in self-esteem and locus of control in eating disordered /weight preoccupied females. It was recommended that future research explore these same variables using grade instead of school groups, and that gender comparisons also be made. The limitations of this study were discussed along with quality of obtained data and implications for parents and health education