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Gender as a Moderator for the Relationship Between BAS-Drive and Disordered Eating Behaviors

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Abstract

Individuals with highly active behavioral activation (BAS) motivational systems are at increased risk for disordered eating behaviors (Bijttebier et al. 2009). The current study examined gender differences in the relationship between motivational tendencies and disordered eating behaviors by administering self-report measures to a sample of 352 college undergraduate students from a Midwestern university in the United States. The goal-driven facet of BAS (BAS-Drive) was a stronger predictor of muscle development behaviors for men than for women. In addition, higher levels of BAS-Drive were associated with greater dietary restraint among males, but not among females. Findings from the current study suggest that gender plays an important role in the relationship between BAS-Drive tendencies and eating disorder behaviors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Heather K. Wadeson

  2. Department of Psychology, North Dakota State University, NDSU Department 2765, P.O. Box 6050, Fargo, ND, 58108–6050, USA

    Kathryn H. Gordon & Keith F. Donohue

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  1. Heather K. Wadeson
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  2. Kathryn H. Gordon
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  3. Keith F. Donohue
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Correspondence to Kathryn H. Gordon.

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Wadeson, H.K., Gordon, K.H. & Donohue, K.F. Gender as a Moderator for the Relationship Between BAS-Drive and Disordered Eating Behaviors. Sex Roles 65, 189–197 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-011-9994-4

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