Are female college athletes at increased risk of eating disorders?

Mothers of young women are often concerned about their daughters and the risks of eating disorders. An article published in Medical News Today (7/29/08) titled, “Greater Risk Of Eating Disorder Symptoms Among Female Athletes And Exercisers,” examines this issue. The article reported on a study, recently published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, of 274 female undergraduates. The results of the study were interesting. Data from questionnaires revealed that “women who participate in high levels of athletic competition and have sports anxiety are more likely to experience eating disorder symptoms.” The researchers concluded that “competitive athletes...may be at higher risk for eating disorder symptoms in comparison to women who are less anxious about their performance and those who are not involved in competitive athletics.” This study supports the idea that competitive female college athletes are at particular risk for the development of eating disorder symptoms.

The Bottom Line: This study strongly supports the idea that competitive female college athletes are at increased risk for the development of eating disorder symptoms.

Reference: Original article

Suggested Reading:

1. Overcoming Eating Disorder (ED): A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Bulimia Nervosa and Binge-Eating Disorder Client Workbook (Treatments That Work) by W. Stewart Agras and Robin F. Apple (Paperback - Nov 18, 2004)
2. Overcoming Your Eating Disorder: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Approach for Bulimia Nervosa and Binge-Eating Disorder, Guided Self Help Workbook (Treatments That Work) by W. Stuart Agras and Robin Apple (Paperback - Sep 17, 2007)
3. Overcoming Eating Disorders: Recovery from Anorexia, Bulimia, and Compulsive Overeating by Kathleen Zraly and David Swift (Paperback - Oct 1992)
4. My Thin Excuse: Understanding, Recognizing, And Overcoming Eating Disorders by Lisa Messinger and Merle Cantor Goldberg (Paperback - Sep 30, 2006)

Additional Resources:

• For related articles on eating disorders on the Web, click on: “Sphere: Related Content” located at the bottom of this blog post.
• For related books or blog posts with related content in Dr. Jeff’s and Dr. Tanya’s Blog, go to “Psychiatric Disorders: Anorexia and Bulimia” or type in the keyword “eating disorders” into “Google Search” located in the sidebar.
• For related articles from Psychology Today, click on the “Psychology Today” banner in the side bar and type in the keyword, “eating disorders” into the Psychology Today “Search”.
• For more books with related content, click any hyperlinked keyword in the blog or type in the keyword, “eating disorders” into “Amazon Search” on the Amazon banner located in the side bar.

Eating Disorders Support Groups:

http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=anorexia

http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=bulimia

http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/

Dr. Jeffrey Speller

Dr. Tanya Korkosz

Psychopharmacology Associates of New England

www.psychopharmassociates.com