Relationships Between Eating Disorder Symptomology and Forgiveness Among College Students

摘要

Eating disorder symptomology is a significant problem on college campuses (Choate, Journal of College Counseling, 13, 73-86, 2010; Meyer 2005). Understanding factors that predict eating disorder symptomology may be useful in determining treatment approaches and in supporting prevention efforts. Recent research indicates that individuals with eating disorders report lower levels of self-forgiveness (Watson et al., Eating Behaviors, 14, 224-228, 2012). In this brief report, the relation of eating disorder symptomology to self, other, and situation forgiveness was examined. College students (n = 294) completed the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26: Garner, Olmsted, Bohr, and Garfinkel Biological Psychiatry, 61, 348-358, 1982) and the Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS; Thompson et al., International Journal of Eating Disorders, 47, 252-258, 2005). Findings indicated significant negative correlations between eating disorder symptomology and self, other, and situation forgiveness. In a multiple regression with gender, self, other, and situation forgiveness as predictors of eating disorder symptomology, gender, self-forgiveness, and other forgiveness were significant predictors, indicating that women, participants lower in self-forgiveness, and participants lower in other forgiveness reported higher rates of eating disorder symptomology.