*Note* This scheduling program was not designed by folks who do a lot with APA Style and unfortunately it defaults to listing authors in alphabetical order. We cannot fix this for this online schedule, but the author orders are posted in the order submitted in the printed program available via pdf here.
A concerning maladaptive pattern of beliefs and behaviors among women is that of disordered eating. This often leads to serious health consequences and clinical eating disorders. Although extensive research has been conducted in order to attempt to understand the factors which contribute to disordered eating, its incidence continues to increase (Ferrier-Auerbach & Martens, 2009). Certain personality characteristics have been linked to eating habits and attitudes. For example, Conscientiousness and Neuroticism have been found to correlate with disordered eating attitudes and habits (Claes et al., 2005). Also, objectified body consciousness, a form of self-consciousness characterized by regularly monitoring the body's outward appearance (McKinley & Hyde, 1996), positively correlates with disordered eating and weight preoccupation (Tiggemann & Kuring, 2004). Previous research has found relationships between objectified body consciousness and disordered eating as well as with personality traits, but no known studies have investigated the relationship between personality and objectified boy consciousness nor all three factors combined. The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether objectified body consciousness mediated the relationship between personality and disordered eating. One-hundred female psychology students from Southern Connecticut State University completed the NEO-Personality Inventory 3, the Objectified Body Consciousness Scale, and the Eating Attitudes Test. Neuroticism facets (self-consciousness, anxiety, depression, and vulnerability) predicted oral control (anorectic behavior). Neuroticism facets (anxiety, impulsiveness) and the Conscientiousness facet (order) predicted bulimia and food preoccupation behaviors. Anxiety, depression, vulnerability and impulsiveness correlated with objectified body consciousness. Of these, objectified body consciousness mediated the relationship between anxiety and oral control; higher levels of Neuroticism (anxiety) was associated with more objectified body consciousness which predicted higher levels of oral control. The current study provides some evidence that the factors predictive of disordered eating are multidimensional and combine with each other to create complex sets of risk factors for unhealthy eating.
