Psychological and behavioral factors unpredictive of disordered eating: a prospective study of the general adolescent population in Norway

OBJECTIVE: To investigate if cross-sectionally identified correlates of disordered eating among adolescents could also predict disordered eating prospectively over and beyond the initial level of disordered eating. METHOD: Two-wave longitudinal questionnaire study of a representative and nationwide sample of 7,751 Norwegian adolescents aged 12-19 at initial testing (t1). A 12-item version of the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) was included. RESULTS: Forty percent of the girls and 25% of the boys with disordered eating at t1 also scored above the cut-off point 2 years later (t2). Initial disordered eating, gender, depressed mood, body dissatisfaction, unstable self-perceptions, perceived obesity, excessive exercise, and having idols with perfect bodies all predicted change in disordered eating. However, when the initial symptom load was controlled, these variables - except gender - only contributed marginally to the prediction of disordered eating. These negative results are in line with other longitudinal studies of changes in disordered eating in unselected adolescent populations. DISCUSSION: It cannot be established that psychological factors play a major etiological role in the development of disordered eating. The results are discussed with reference to a potential discontinuity between eating problems and eating disorders.