The Eating Attitudes and Mental Health in Japanese Female University Students

Abstract

First, the relationship between eating attitudes and anxiety in Japanese female university students was examined. The results of the analysis show that especially trait anxiety sig nificantly relates with eating disorder tendency. Following this, the interrelationship of eating attitudes, body-checking behavior cognition, and depression was examined. The results show that the obsessive thoughts body image score increases as the eating disor - der tendency score also increases, indicating that inappropriate eating attitudes have a strong impact on obsessive thoughts. Finally, the relationship between eating attitudes, trust, and isolation was examined. The results of the analysis show that inappropriate eating behavior significantly correlates with distrust and isolation. the standard deviation (SD) was 13.30. We categorized that the average minus 1/2 SD and less was the EAT-L group (N = 63) and the average plus 1/2 SD and more was the EAT-H group (N = 46). The participants with scores between the EAT-L and EAT-H groups were divided into the EAT-M group (N = 88). The scores of trust for others, trust in oneself, and distrust were compared between the EAT-L, EAT-M and EAT-H groups using one-way ANOVA. The results showed that there was a significant difference in distrust (F(2,194) = 11.12, p < .05) and trust for others (F(2,194) = 3.13, p < .05). Multiple comparisons showed that the score of distrust in the EAT-H group is higher than the EAT-M and EAT-L groups. The score of trust for others in the EAT-M group was higher than the EAT-L and EAT-H groups. There was no significant difference in trust in oneself (F(2,194) = 0.69, n.s.).