LINKS AMONG EATING DISORDER CHARACTERISTICS

Course overview

Course Description: This course is based upon material published in the journal Sage Open and is available as an open access article. ABSTRACT This study examined associations among eating disorder characteristics, excessive exercise, and selected psychological attributes in college students (N = 499). Male and female participants were recruited from university psychology courses and administered the Obligatory Exercise Questionnaire (OEQ), Mental Health Inventory, Eating Self-Efficacy Scale, Revised Restraint Scale, and Eating Disorder Inventory. Results confirmed the multidimensionality of excessive exercise for both males and females. Profiles of male and female exercisers were developed based on the clustering of scores on the OEQ¿s factor analytically derived subscales. Specific qualitative aspects of exercise (e.g., emotionality and obsession), rather than the quantity of exercise, were found to be associated with eating disorder traits and, for some groups, psychological distress (PD). For other groups, such as female excessive exercisers, exercise seems to act as a coping mechanism, thereby lessening PD and enhancing well-being. This course on eating disorders is designed for professional counselors, social workers, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors who do clinical work. This course is appropriate for beginning, intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to develop their understanding of eating disorders. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require clinical continuing education courses for license renewal. The course is based on a journal article which includes research. As such it contains statistical analysis and data which some clinicians enjoy reading and others do not. One of the benefits of reading research based articles for continuing education is that it allows the practitioner to keep current on the latest findings in their field. Authors: Brehm and Steffen Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding eating disorders characteristics. Specifically, a professional will: Describe the association between eating disorders and excessive exercise in men and women. Describe the association between eating disorders and psychological distress in men and women. Identify differences between the male and female typology of persons with eating disorders. Citation: Brehm, B.J. and Steffen, J.J. (2013). Links among eating disorder characteristics, exercise patterns, and psychological attributes in college students. SAGE Open July-September 2013: 1¿11