NCJ Number
204318
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 25 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2001 Pages: 291-305
Editor(s)
Richard D. Krugman,
John M. Leventhal
Date Published
February 2001
Length
15 pages
Annotation
The study examined whether a history of childhood victimization would increase the likelihood of selecting more deviant or unusual forms of weight regulation, but have little effect on more common or widespread forms of weight regulation.
Abstract
The relationship between childhood sexual victimization and eating disorders has gained increased attention in the last decade. Considerable evidence suggests that a history of childhood victimization increases the risk of engaging in risky and potentially damaging behaviors. This study extended that line of thinking with four major objectives: 1) to continue to examine the relationship between childhood sexual victimization and weight regulation across three independent samples of adolescents; 2) to examine the relationship of childhood sexual physical victimization in predicting the development of weight regulation practices; 3) to assess whether or not childhood sexual victimization is associated with more extreme forms of weight regulation in adolescent girls; and 4) to discern whether sexual victimization is associated with multiple forms of weight regulation. Data from three separate samples of 9th-12th graders in North Dakota were used to test the hypotheses. The students responded to survey questions related to victimization and weight regulation. The samples were urban (n=2,086), rural (n=2,629), and statewide (n=966). The analyses were restricted to responses from girls only. Logistic regression revealed that sexual victimization was consistently associated with weight regulation in adolescent girls, independent of the effects of physical victimization. In the urban sample, being sexually victimized was associated with an increase in the probability of purging by 18 percent relative to not being sexually victimized. Sexual victimization was associated more strongly with extreme forms of weight regulation and significantly discriminated whether girls would choose multiple weight regulation forms. Based on the findings from this study, the researchers conclude that sexual victimization contributes unique variance to the probability that girls will practice weight regulation techniques. Data from three independent samples confirms that being violated sexually places girls as risk for various health compromising eating disorders. Study limitations are discussed. Figures, tables, and references