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Cited by 58Eating Disorders and BehaviorsIdentity, Memory, and TherapyNutrition, Health and Food Behavior

Eating Disorder Symptomatology and Identity Formation in Adolescence: A Cross-Lagged Longitudinal Approach

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Verschueren, Margaux, Claes, Laurence, Bogaerts, Annabel, Palmeroni, Nina, Gandhi, Amarendra, Moons, Philip, Luyckx, Koen·2018·Frontiers in Psychology
DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00816PMC PMC5994691
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Abstract

Introduction. Eating disorder symptomatology, comprising both psychological and behavioral aspects of subclinical eating concerns, constitutes a clear precursor of developing eating disorders. It is crucial to investigate its antecedents and correlates to subsequently inform eating disorder prevention programs. The present study focused on identity formation, a core developmental task in adolescence, that has increasingly been linked to eating disorder development. Our main aim was to examine the temporal sequence between eating disorder symptomatology and identity formation. Methods. Data on eating disorder symptomatology and identity formation were collected in 530 high school students (at Time 1: mean age = 15 years; SD = 1.84; range: 12 to 18 years; 50.6% females) using self-report questionnaires at three annual measurement points. Cross-lagged structural equation modeling was performed to examine the directionality of effects. Results. Results indicated bidirectional effects between eating disorder symptomatology and identity formation. Identity confusion seemed to increase vulnerability to body dissatisfaction and bulimia symptoms, whereas identity synthesis seemed to protect against their development. Additionally, identity synthesis seemed to protect against the development of drive for thinness as well. At the same time, body dissatisfaction and bulimia symptoms positively predicted identity confusion and negatively predicted identity synthesis over time. Conclusions. The present study adds to the growing body of literature on identity and eating disorders by focusing on their temporal interplay in a community sample of adolescents. As bidirectional effects emerged, a greater emphasis on identity formation in eating disorder prevention programs is advocated.

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  • High identity confusion predicted high body dissatisfaction and bulimia one and two years later, with small effect sizes.

    “High identity synthesis also predicted low eating disorders symptoms (body dissatisfaction; bulimia; drive for thinness) and high identity confusion predicted high body dissatisfaction and bulimia one and two years later, with small effect sizes.”

    From Identity Development and Social-Emotional Disorders During Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2022) · cites this paper as Verschueren et al., 2018

    The Results section, “Directionality of Effects Linking Identity Formation and ED Symptomatology” (page unavailable), reports that identity confusion positively predicted body dissatisfaction and bulimia symptoms over time in a study with three annual measurements. The reported cross-lagged paths link consecutive measurements; our copy does not establish a separate prediction two years later or document the claimed small effect sizes. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • High identity synthesis predicted low eating disorder symptoms (body dissatisfaction; bulimia; drive for thinness) one and two years later, with small effect sizes.

    “High identity synthesis also predicted low eating disorders symptoms (body dissatisfaction; bulimia; drive for thinness) and high identity confusion predicted high body dissatisfaction and bulimia one and two years later, with small effect sizes.”

    From Identity Development and Social-Emotional Disorders During Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2022) · cites this paper as Verschueren et al., 2018

    The Results section (‘Directionality of Effects Linking Identity Formation and ED Symptomatology’; page unavailable) says identity synthesis negatively predicted all three eating-disorder symptoms over time. The Methods describe successive one-year cross-lagged paths across three annual measurements, but the cited passages do not establish a direct prediction two years later or characterize these effects as small. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • High body dissatisfaction and bulimia symptoms (but not drive for thinness) predicted lower identity synthesis and higher identity confusion one and two years later amongst Dutch adolescents, with small effect sizes.

    “They found that high body dissatisfaction and bulimia symptoms (but not drive for thinness) predicted lower identity synthesis and higher identity confusion one and two years later amongst Dutch adolescents, with small effect sizes.”

    From Identity Development and Social-Emotional Disorders During Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2022) · cites this paper as Verschueren et al., 2018

    The Results (Directionality of Effects Linking Identity Formation and ED Symptomatology) report that body dissatisfaction and bulimia symptoms predicted lower identity synthesis and higher identity confusion across successive annual measurements; the Discussion says drive for thinness did not show the same pattern. But Participants and Procedure identifies the students as Flemish adolescents in Dutch-speaking Belgium, not adolescents in the Netherlands. The models test one-year cross-lagged paths over a two-year study, rather than a distinct prediction two years later, and the cited passages do not establish the claimed small effect sizes. (LLM, conf=0.89)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • There was no prospective association between identity confusion and drive for thinness.

    “There was no prospective association between identity confusion and drive for thinness.”

    From Identity Development and Social-Emotional Disorders During Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2022) · cites this paper as Verschueren et al., 2018

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1 of the 81 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Marcia J. (1980). “Identity in adolescence,” in Handbook of Adolescent Psychology ed. Adelson J. (New York, NY: Wiley) 159– 187.

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Authors
Verschueren, M., Claes, L., Bogaerts, A., Palmeroni, N., Gandhi, A., Moons, P., & Luyckx, K.
Affiliations
  • KU Leuven (BE)
  • University of Antwerp (BE)
  • University of Gothenburg (SE)
Corresponding author
Verschueren, Margaux
ORCID
Venue
Frontiers in Psychology
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2018-06-04
Volume
9
Pages
816-816
ISSN
1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00816
PMC
PMC5994691
OpenAlex
W2801307309
Cited by
58
References
81
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 2
FWCI
3.82
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Lirias (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Vlaamse regering
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Identity, Memory, and Therapy
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
Keywords
eating disorder symptoms, identity construction, adolescence, identity confusion, identity synthesis, body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, bidirectional effects, eating disorder prevention, high school students

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