Abstract
Objective
During the college transition, vulnerability to disordered eating and exercise behaviors and cognitions may increase. We studied how behaviors and cognitions change differentially over time, in the context of gender, athletic participation, and contingencies of self-worth. Participants: 229 diverse, first-year students at a competitive liberal arts college. Methods: Three-wave longitudinal study employing surveys before, during, and following the first semester, using linear mixed model analyses. Results: There were changes over time in one measure of disordered exercise-related cognitions and exercise frequency; disordered eating showed no significant changes over time. Athletic participation and basing a lower amount of self-worth on appearance were protective against subclinical disordered cognitions and behaviors; gender was not predictive. Conclusion: Health personnel should consider athletic participation and contingencies of self-worth when assessing students’ risk for ED symptoms, in both genders. Early interventions may be useful, as changes were observed within the first three months of college.
Acknowledgments
We would like to acknowledge Abra Owens for her previous work on this topic.
Conflict of interest disclosure
The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the IRB of Williams College, protocol #2015-7.
Funding
No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.