The relationship of body shame, peer pressure and body dissatisfaction with adolescents eating behaviours

Poremećaji hranjenja definiraju se kao poremećaji kojima su osnovna obilježja patološke prehrambene navike i ponašanje. Zbog pretjerane zabrinutosti i usmjerenosti na kontrolu oblika i težine tijela, oboljele osobe pribjegavaju neprimjerenim, neredovitim ili kaotičnim unosom hrane što rezultira zdravstvenim problemima tjelesne i psihološke prirode. Cilj istraživanja je bio ispitati incidenciju problematičnih navika hranjenja u populaciji adolescenata u Gradu Zagrebu te ispitati u kojoj mjeri vršnjački pritisak, sram i nezadovoljstvo tjelesnim izgledom doprinose razvoju istih. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 400 učenica i učenika srednjih škola u Gradu Zagrebu, polaznika prvog, drugog i trećeg razreda srednje škole. Od ukupnog uzorka, djevojke čine 46,8 % (N = 187), a mladići 53,3 % istoga (N =213). Prosječna dob djevojaka u uzorku iznosi M = 16,10; SD = 0,945; totalni raspon godina među ženskim ispitanicima kreće se od 14 do 19. Prosječna dob mladića uključenih u istraživanje iznosi M = 15,83; SD = 1,064; godine muških ispitanika kreću se u rasponu od 14 do 18. Od ukupnog uzorka adolescenata, njih 315 (80,6 %) ima normalan ITM s obzirom na dob i spol, od toga 168 mladića (78,9 %) i 147 djevojaka (82,6%). Dobiveni rezultati ukazuju da se na temelju poznavanja varijabli vršnjačkog pritiska, srama i nezadovoljstva tijelom te težnje ka mišićavosti mogu predviđati navike hranjenja adolescenata oba spola. Kao najznačajniji prediktori navika hranjenja kod djevojaka pokazali su se tjelesni sram i nezadovoljstvo tijekom, dok su se kod mladića najznačajnijim prediktorima navika hranjenja pokazali tjelesni sram i težnja ka mišićavosti. Intrigantan je podatak da se ITM nije pokazao značajnim prediktorom za navike hranjenja kod oba spola.Eating disorders are classified as disorders whose basic characteristics are pathological eating habits and behaviors. Due to excessive worry and focus on controlling the shape and weight of the body, the person's resort to improper, irregular or chaotic food intake resulting in health problems of physical and psychological in nature. Numerous studies are conducted to investigate factors influencing eating and weight-related problems, given the alarming prevalence of such behaviours among adolescents. Peers are important component of adolescents’ social context and represent a powerful influence on body-related behaviours. Body dissatisfaction has been confirmed as one of the most significant factors in the development and maintenance of subclinical and clinical eating pathology. While the majority of females desired thinner physique, males often express their body dissatisfaction in terms of muscle tone and size. The relationship between shame, especially body shame, and eating pathology has received increased attention in recent years. The aim of this research was to determine the incidence of disordered eating behaviors in non clinical population of high school students in Zagreb, Croatia, and to examine the extent to which peer pressure, body shame and body dissatisfaction contribute to the development of disordered eating habits. The study included 400 male and female high school students. Demographic data were collected with structured questionnaire, whereas data on self-reported eating habits, peer pressure, body shame, body satisfaction and body mass index (BMI) were collected with Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), Peer Pressure Questionnaire, Body Shape Satisfaction Scale (BSSS), Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS), and Body Shame Scale (BS-OBCS). Body Mass Index (BMI) number was plotted on the BMI-for-age growth charts to obtain a percentile ranking that indicated the relative position of the adolescent's BMI number among peers of the same sex and age. Of the total sample, girls made up 46.8% (N = 187; average age M = 16.10; SD = 0.945) and boys made up 53.3% (N = 213; average age M = 15.83; SD = 1.064). Majority of adolescents had normal BMI for age. The results indicated that the most predictive factors in explanation of disordered eating habits among girls were body shame and body dissatisfaction, while among boys the most predictive factors of disordered eating habits were body shame and drive for muscularity. This study provides further evidence of the experience of body dissatisfaction, body shame and drive for muscularity among adolescents and suggests that these factors are associated with disordered eating behaviours. Future longitudinal research designed to specifically explore aforementioned risk factors is needed, and would enhance our understanding of eating disorder aetiology