Abstract

The purpose of the present study was 1) to measure body-dissatisfaction and 2) to investigate the influence of body dissatisfaction on self-esteem and depression in the binge eater group / normal control group. 934 female undergraduate students were administered Bulimia Test(BULIT), the revised Shilouette Body Image Test(SBIT), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale(RSE), Beck Depression Inventory(BDI), and Multidimensional Eating Disorder Inventory(EDI). Binge eaters chose significantly larger current body sizes and thinner ideal body sizes than those picked by normal controls regardless of actual body size. Consequently, they exhibited a high degree of body dissatisfaction than their counterparts. Binge eaters were also found to be more depressed. But the effect of body dissatisfaction on self-esteem and on depression was not significant, and no difference was found between binge eaters and normal controls. The results were discussed in terms of the nature of body dissatisfaction and relations of body dissatisfaction with self-esteem and depression in binge eaters.