Femininity, Feminine Gender Role Stress, Body Dissatisfaction, and their Relationships to Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder

Research suggests that the associations between femininity, body image and eating disorders are intricate. How these constructs are linked to each other still needs to be determined. The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of these links, examining the mediational relationship among these constructs. Also, the prediction that bulimia and binge eating disorder symptoms have a similar origin was tested and compared. Some researchers have suggested that the pathways leading to these disorders are equivalent and the main difference between the two is the dietary restriction, while others see them as distinct disorders with different etiology. A total of 355 female college students (ages 18 to 26) completed a set of questionnaires that assessed femininity, feminine gender role stress, body dissatisfaction, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. Results showed that body dissatisfaction mediates the relationship between femininity or feminine gender role stress with bulimia symptoms, as well as the relationship between feminine gender role stress and binge eating disorder symptoms. Results indicate that body dissatisfaction related to femininity or to feminine gender role stress may contribute to higher levels of bulimia symptoms. The findings also suggest that body dissatisfaction related to feminine gender role stress may contribute to higher levels of binge eating disorder symptoms. Results did not support the mediational role of body dissatisfaction between femininity and binge eating disorder. However, the mediational role of feminine gender role stress between femininity and body dissatisfaction was partially supported, suggesting that feminine gender role stress might only be one pathway by which femininity may have an impact on body dissatisfaction.