Eating pathology is an increasing problem in the United States and other Western countries. This study examined gender differences and specific known psychological correlates of eating pathology. Sociocultural variables, such as thin-ideal internalization, and individual factors, such as perfectionism and experiential avoidance, were also evaluated. A sample of 257 female and 165 male undergraduates (n = 423) completed a battery of surveys online. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to model the relationships among the variables. The results show that the best fitting model included perfectionism rather than thin-ideal internalization leading to body dissatisfaction. There is support for experiential avoidance as a mediating variable between body dissatisfaction, dieting, and thin-idealization and binge eating. Results also show that men engaged in more binge eating and exercise than women and less vomiting and laxative use than women. These findings suggest that individual factors, specifically perfectionism and experiential avoidance, are strongly related to eating pathology, particularly binge eating.
","abstract_html":"<p>Eating pathology is an increasing problem in the United States and other Western countries. This study examined gender differences and specific known psychological correlates of eating pathology. Sociocultural variables, such as thin-ideal internalization, and individual factors, such as perfectionism and experiential avoidance, were also evaluated. A sample of 257 female and 165 male undergraduates (<em>n</em> = 423) completed a battery of surveys online. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to model the relationships among the variables. The results show that the best fitting model included perfectionism rather than thin-ideal internalization leading to body dissatisfaction. There is support for experiential avoidance as a mediating variable between body dissatisfaction, dieting, and thin-idealization and binge eating. Results also show that men engaged in more binge eating and exercise than women and less vomiting and laxative use than women. These findings suggest that individual factors, specifically perfectionism and experiential avoidance, are strongly related to eating pathology, particularly binge eating.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["King, Lindsay T"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Open Access Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Michelle R. Byrd, Ph.D.","Renee R. Lajiness-O’Neill, Ph.D.","Martha W. Tack, Ph.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2008,"date_issued":"2008-04-25T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2008-04-25T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:30Z","subjects":["Eating disorders Etiology","Eating disorders Sex factors","Eating disorders Psychological aspects","Body image","Clinical Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/128","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Michelle R. Byrd, Ph.D.","Renee R. Lajiness-O’Neill, Ph.D.","Martha W. Tack, Ph.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["King, Lindsay T"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Eating disorders Etiology","Eating disorders Sex factors","Eating disorders Psychological aspects","Body image","Clinical Psychology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/128"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Eating pathology is an increasing problem in the United States and other Western countries. This study examined gender differences and specific known psychological correlates of eating pathology. Sociocultural variables, such as thin-ideal internalization, and individual factors, such as perfectionism and experiential avoidance, were also evaluated. A sample of 257 female and 165 male undergraduates (n = 423) completed a battery of surveys online. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to model the relationships among the variables. The results show that the best fitting model included perfectionism rather than thin-ideal internalization leading to body dissatisfaction. There is support for experiential avoidance as a mediating variable between body dissatisfaction, dieting, and thin-idealization and binge eating. Results also show that men engaged in more binge eating and exercise than women and less vomiting and laxative use than women. These findings suggest that individual factors, specifically perfectionism and experiential avoidance, are strongly related to eating pathology, particularly binge eating.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Modeling eating pathology: The role of gender, sociocultural, and individual factors"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Michelle R. Byrd, Ph.D.","Renee R. Lajiness-O’Neill, Ph.D.","Martha W. Tack, Ph.D."],"dc:creator":["King, Lindsay T"],"dc:description.abstract":["Eating pathology is an increasing problem in the United States and other Western countries. This study examined gender differences and specific known psychological correlates of eating pathology. Sociocultural variables, such as thin-ideal internalization, and individual factors, such as perfectionism and experiential avoidance, were also evaluated. A sample of 257 female and 165 male undergraduates (n = 423) completed a battery of surveys online. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to model the relationships among the variables. The results show that the best fitting model included perfectionism rather than thin-ideal internalization leading to body dissatisfaction. There is support for experiential avoidance as a mediating variable between body dissatisfaction, dieting, and thin-idealization and binge eating. Results also show that men engaged in more binge eating and exercise than women and less vomiting and laxative use than women. These findings suggest that individual factors, specifically perfectionism and experiential avoidance, are strongly related to eating pathology, particularly binge eating.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/128"],"dc:subject":["Eating disorders Etiology","Eating disorders Sex factors","Eating disorders Psychological aspects","Body image","Clinical Psychology"],"dc:title":["Modeling eating pathology: The role of gender, sociocultural, and individual factors"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:30Z"}