Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Disordered Eating Cognitions as Predictors of Attitudes toward Seeking Professional Psychological Services

  • ORIGINAL ARTICLE
  • Published:
International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present study investigated whether young adults’ disordered eating cognitions predicted attitudes toward seeking professional psychological services. Two hundred and eighty three 18- to 24-year-old undergraduate students completed a survey package that included measures of disordered eating cognitions and help-seeking attitudes. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that greater disordered eating cognitions uniquely predicted lower degrees of favorable help-seeking attitudes overall, lower stigma tolerance with respect to seeking professional psychological services, lower interpersonal openness in the context of help-seeking, and lower confidence in psychological professionals. The findings suggest that outreach interventions should, among other things, focus on stigma associated with help-seeking and disordered eating problems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Atkinson, D. R., & Gim, R. H. (1989). Asian-American cultural identity and attitudes toward mental health services. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 2, 209–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berg, K. C., Frazier, P., & Sherr, L. (2009). Change in eating disorder attitudes and behavior in college women: prevalence and predictors. Eating Behaviors, 10, 137–142.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beukes, M., Walker, S., & Esterhuyse, K. (2010). The role of coping responses in the relationship between perceived stress and disordered eating in a cross-cultural sample of female university students. Stress and Health: Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, 26, 280–291.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brannan, M. E., & Petrie, T. A. (2008). Moderators of the body dissatisfaction-Eating disorder symptomatology relationship: Replication and Extension. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 55, 263–275.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cachelin, F. M., & Striegel-Moore, R. H. (2006). Help-seeking and barriers to treatment in a community sample of Mexican American and European American women with eating disorders. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 39(2), 154–161.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cramer, K. M. (1999). Psychological antecedents to help-seeking behavior: a reanalysis using path modeling structures. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 46, 381–387.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, L., & Wertheim, E. (2002). An examination of willingness to self-disclose in women with bulimic symptoms considering the context of disclosure and negative affect levels. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 31(3), 344–348.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fairburn, C. G. (Ed.). (2008). Cognitive behavior therapy and eating disorders. New York: The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fairburn, C. G., Cooper, Z., & Shafran, R. (2003). Cognitive behaviour therapy for eating disorders: a “transdiagnostic” theory and treatment. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 41, 509–528.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, E. H., & Farina, A. (1995). Attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help: a shortened form and considerations for research. Journal of College Student Development, 36, 368–373.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, E. H., & Turner, J. L. (1970). Orientations to seeking professional help: development and research utility of an attitude scale. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 35, 79–90.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg, L., Cwikel, J., & Mirsky, J. (2007). Cultural correlates of eating attitudes: a comparison between native-born and immigrant university students in Israel. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 40, 51–58.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hackler, A. H., Vogel, D. L., & Wade, N. G. (2010). Attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help for an eating disorder: the role of stigma and anticipated outcomes. Journal of Counseling and Development, 88, 424–431.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hepworth, N., & Paxton, S. J. (2007). Pathway to help-seeking in bulimia nervosa and binge earting problems: a concept mapping approach. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 40(6), 493–504.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hoyt, W. D., & Ross, S. D. (2003). Clinical and subclinical eating disorders in counseling center clients: a prevalence study. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 17(4), 39–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lavender, J. M., & Anderson, D. A. (2010). Contribution of emotion regulation difficulties to disordered eating and body dissatisfaction in college men. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 43, 352–357.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Masuda, A., & Wendell, J. W. (2010). The role of mindfulness on the relations between disordered eating-related cognition and psychological distress. Eating Behaviors, 11, 293–296.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Masuda, A., Suzumura, K., Beauchamp, K. L., Howells, G. N., & Clay, C. (2005). United States and Japanese college students’ attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. International Journal of Psychology, 40, 303–313.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Masuda, A., Anderson, P. L., Twohig, M. P., Feinstein, A. B., Chou, Y., Wendell, J. W., et al. (2009). Help-seeking experiences and attitudes among African American. International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling, 31, 168–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Masuda, A., Hayes, S. C., Twohig, M. P., Lillis, J., Fletcher, L. B., & Gloster, A. T. (2009). Comparing Japanese international students and U.S. college students’ mental health related stigmatizing attitudes. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 37, 178–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Masuda, A., Price, M., Anderson, P. L., & Wendell, J. W. (2010). Disordered eating-related cognition and psychological flexibility as predictors of psychological health among college students. Behavior Modification, 34, 3–15.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, D. F. (2001). Help-seeking for eating disorders in female adolescents. Journal of College Student Psychopathology, 15(4), 23–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, D. F. (2005). Psychological correlates of help-seeking for eating-disorder symptoms in female college students. Journal of College Counseling, 8, 20–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, J. L., Vaillancourt, T., & Hanna, S. E. (2009). The measurement of “eating-disroder-thoughts” and “eating-disroder-behaivors” Implications for assessment and detection of eating disorders in epidemiological studies. Eating Behaviors, 10, 89–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mintz, L. B., & Kashubeck, S. (1999). Body image and disordered eating among Asian American and Caucasian college students. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 23, 781–796.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mizes, J. S., Christiano, B., Madison, J., Post, G., Seime, R., & Varnado, P. (2000). Development of the mizes anorectic cognitions questionnaire-revised: psychometric properties and factor structure in a large sample of eating disorder patients. International Journal of Eating Disorder, 28, 415–421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mond, J. M., Hay, P. J., Darby, A., Paxton, S. J., Quirk, F., Buttner, P., et al. (2009). Women with bulimic eating disorders: when do they receive treatment for an eating problem? Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77(5), 835–844.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Neighbors, L. A., & Sobal, J. (2007). Prevalence and magnitude of body weight and shape dissatisfaction among university students. Eating Behaviors, 8(4), 429–439.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Obasi, E. M., & Leong, F. L. (2009). Psychological distress, acculturation, and mental health-seeking attitudes among people of African descent in the United States: a preliminary investigation. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 56(2), 227–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prouty, A. M., Protinsky, H. O., & Canady, D. (2002). College women: eating behaviors and help-seeking preferences. Adolescence, 37, 353–363.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, N. A., & Petrie, T. A. (2010). Body dissatisfaction, ethnic identity, disordered eating among African American women. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 57, 141–153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stice, E., Killen, J. D., Hayward, C., & Taylor, C. B. (1998). Support for the continuity hypothesis of bulimic pathology. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, 784–790.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Timko, C. A., Mooney, K., & Juarascio, A. (2010). Change in eating and body related behaviors during the first year of university. Eating and Weight Disorders, 15, e93–e97.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tylka, T. L. (2004). The relation between body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptomatology: an analysis of moderating variables. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 51, 178–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tyrka, A. R., Waldron, I., Graber, J. A., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2003). Prospective predictors of the onset of anorexic and bulimic syndromes. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 32, 282–290.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vogel, D. L., Wade, N. G., & Hackler, A. H. (2007). Perceived public stigma and the willingness to seek counseling: the mediating roles of self-stigma and attitudes toward counseling. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 54(1), 40–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Keri B. Dotson, Akihiko Masuda & Lindsey L. Cohen

Authors
  1. Keri B. Dotson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Akihiko Masuda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Lindsey L. Cohen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Akihiko Masuda.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dotson, K.B., Masuda, A. & Cohen, L.L. Disordered Eating Cognitions as Predictors of Attitudes toward Seeking Professional Psychological Services. Int J Adv Counselling 33, 225–234 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-011-9127-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-011-9127-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation