sorder continuum and studies show that among college women self-esteem decreases as the eating disturbance increases (Scarano & Kalodner-Martin, 1994). In addition, studies have shown that body dissatisfaction and self-esteem are linked to eating disorders and bulimia (Vohs, Voelz, Pettit, & Bardone, 2001) and sexuality education can prevent eating disorders (Thoresen, 2003). Research showing the predictive abilities of each of these factors with regard to eating disorders is lacking.
Research has reported that eating disorders may lie on a continuum with normal eaters at one end and bulimia at the other end, and that these disorders are qualitatively similar except for severity and frequency. Within this framework, it has also been noted that body satisfaction, maladaptive eating, self-esteem, and sexuality are related to the eating problems. While these factors appear to be linked, whether self-esteem predicts body satisfaction, maladaptive eating, and sexual satisfaction, or whether self-esteem is predicted by these variables, remains unclear. A study is needed to further explore these variables in eating disorder individuals.
Research has pointed out that there are many aspects of eating disorders to understand. For example, while these disorders may lie on a continuum, they may also be linked with other anxiety disorders and personality disorders (Kaye,áBulik, Thornton, Barbarich, & Masters,á2004; Rogersá& Petrie, 2001). Anxiety disorders are found in two-thirds of eating disorder patients. Obsessive-compulsive disorder and social phobia are most commonly found and most individuals experience the onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia, specific phobia, and generalized anxiety disorder in childhood prior to the development of an eating disorder. Those with an eating disorder with no diagnosis of anxiety disorder tend to be anxious, harm avoidant, and perfectionistic (Kaye, et al., 2004). Another s...