Mental Health Impairment in Underweight Women
Author Information
Author(s): Jonathan Mond, Bryan Rodgers, Philipa Hay, Cathy Owen
Primary Institution: Australian National University
Hypothesis
Mental health impairment in underweight women is due to an association between low body weight and elevated levels of body dissatisfaction and/or eating-disordered behaviour.
Conclusion
Mental health impairment in underweight women is unlikely to be due to higher levels of body dissatisfaction or eating-disordered behaviour.
Supporting Evidence
- Underweight women had significantly greater impairment in mental health than normal-weight women.
- Underweight women had lower levels of body dissatisfaction and eating-disordered behaviour than normal-weight women.
- Body dissatisfaction was a strong predictor of mental health impairment among underweight women.
Takeaway
Underweight women are not more likely to feel bad about their bodies or have eating disorders, but they still have mental health issues.
Methodology
The study compared underweight and normal-weight women on measures of body dissatisfaction, eating-disordered behaviour, and mental health using self-report questionnaires.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to non-response and the exclusion of individuals with eating disorders from the sample.
Limitations
Some important covariates were not assessed, and the sample may not be representative of all underweight women.
Participant Demographics
Participants were young women aged 18 to 42, primarily born in Australia, with a mean age of 30.3 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.01
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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