Perfectionism, Body Dissatisfaction, And Self-esteem: An Interactive Model of Bulimic Symptom Development

Abstract

The hypothesis that perfectionism, body dissatisfaction, and self-esteem interact to predict bulimic symptom development was tested. This study replicates and extends previous findings (Vohs, Bardone, Joiner, Abramson, & Heatherton, 1999) demonstrating that the joint operation of perfectionism, perceived overweight status, and low self-esteem accounts, at least in part, for bulimic symptom development. Within the context of a longitudinal design, the current study, which used different measurement approaches and operationalizations than Vohs and colleagues, provided strong support for the model's ability to predict bulimic symptom development. Moreover, we tested whether the model displayed symptom specificity to bulimic symptoms, as opposed to anxiety and depressive symptoms. Although we found support for the model's specificity with regard to anxiety symptoms, development of depressive symptoms was also predicted by the model. Our findings refine the role of social psychological variables, such as perfectionism and self-esteem, in predicting bulimic symptoms and concomitant conditions.