The relationship between self-consciousness, the desire to be slim, and abnormal eating behavior

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the relationship between self-consciousness, the desire to be slim, and abnormal eating behavior among female college students. The subjects were 503 female college students (mean age: 19.22±1.01). First, the subjects were divided into two groups (weak desire to be slim group and strong desire to be slim group). Second, using cluster analysis in each group, the subjects were categorized according to their levels of self-consciousness into patterns of low self-consciousness (cluster A), high public self-consciousness (cluster B), high private self-consciousness (cluster C), and high self-consciousness (cluster D). Third, in order to examine the relation between abnormal eating behavior and the self-consciousness pattern, a one-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) on Eating Attitude Test-26 (EAT-26) score was conducted on the four clusters. The resulting values of ANOVA on EAT-26 score in cluster D were greater than those in cluster A of the weak-desire-to-be-slim group. Further, the resulting values in cluster D were stronger than those in clusters A, B, and C of the strong desire to be slim group. Thus, particularly among female college students having strong desires to be slim, both public and private self-consciousness may relate to abnormal eating behavior.