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Abstract
The prospective relationship between initial rumination and subsequent bulimic symptoms, and vice versa, was examined, and possible mediators were tested in a community sample of 191 adolescent girls (M age = 14.5) at 3 different assessment time points. Path analyses indicated that Time 1 rumination predicted Time 3 bulimic symptoms, and vice versa. Physical appearance competence (but not social competence) mediated both relationships. The results suggest that specific cognitive mechanisms, such as rumination, may play an etiological role in the development of bulimic symptoms. This may be especially true for adolescent girls who exhibit low competence beliefs about their physical appearance.
This work was supported, in part, by National Institute of Mental Health grants R03-MH 066845 and 5R01 MH077195 to Benjamin L. Hankin.
Notes
Note. N = 191 at Time 1 (T1), N = 165 at Time 2 (T2), and N = 168 at Time 3 (T3). Appearance = physical appearance competence; Social = social competence; Bulimia = bulimic symptoms from Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale.
*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.