I riskzonen för ätstörningar : är visuo-perceptuella skillnader mellan pojkar och flickor en faktor?

There comes a time in every persons life when it is time to leave childhood and step into the adult world by way of reaching puberty. Dramatic biological, social and emotional changes, typical of this period in life, may put the individual at greater risk for negative influences from internal as well as external sources. Weight and body image seems to be predominant issues in the adolescent years, especially for girls, and obsessions with these may sometimes manifest in extreme ways as eating disorders. This study examines how a component in the neuropsychological development - the sensitivity level of visual perception - may influence the body image of young girls. The participantgroup consisted of 43 seventhgraders at Fågelbäcksskolan, Trelleborg and a controlgroup consisting of 25 thirdgraders from Bäckaskolan, also located in Trelleborg. Both groups were given identical tests (Bender Visual Gestalt test) and surveys which established that it was agerelated changes in visual perception and body image that was measured. The study yielded results for the participantgroup that indicated a positive correlation between levels of visual perception and body image in girls. However, the results may not be generalizable as skewness was noted in results from the neuropsychological test which indicates a floor/ceiling effect. Keywords : visual perception, body image, puberty, eating disorder