Authors: Daniel B. Fassnacht, Aracelli Núñez Navarro, Ana Rita Vaz, Eva Conceição, Markus Mößner, Stephanie Bauer, Paulo P. Machado
Centre: Psychology Department, University of Minho

Introduction

Only little is known about psychological factors that increase the risk of getting an Eating Disorder (ED) and about the temporal patterns of risk factors and ED symptoms. The courses over time and their interrelations are still unknown and very little investigated (Jacobi et al., 2004).

Objectives

The present study is attempting to explore and replicate discussed psychological risk factors for the development of an eating disorder in order to construct models that help to understand which people have a risk to develop ED symptoms (Binging, Vomiting, Purging etc.).

Method

A longitudinal observational study is conducted at the University of Minho (Portugal). University students are completing monthly assessments including questionnaires for establishing ED risk factors like low self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, perfectionism, etc. To assess the full and partial (sub-clinical) syndromes of ED the EDE-Q is used. The data is collected via Internet.

Statistical Analysis

Logistic regression analysis will be used to test the relevance of putative risk factors. Analysis of the temporal patterns using Hierarchical Linear Models (HLM). Findings will be cross-validated. Validation samples are collected in St. Etienne (France), Heidelberg (Germany) and Budapest (Hungary).