Identificação de variáveis preditivas para o desenvolvimento de perturbações do comportamento alimentarum estudo em população portuguesa

Abstract

Eating disorders are serious psychopathological conditions distinguish by profound changes in normal eating patterns and enormous psychological impact experienced by subject and his family (Sampaio, 2002). They are multifactorial causes diseases and the individual factors by themselves do not explain the development of the disorder. Although with little expression in the Portuguese population, it still important to identify symptoms in the earliest ages, for the fact that a significant percentage of individuals that do not met all the criteria, presents symptoms with other different implications. Moreover, the disease can be hided for long periods of time as a socially accepted concern, but it may lead to serious illnesses and with severe consequences for the individual. Childhood and adolescence, as phases of intense and fast changes at various ways including body ones, can be perceived as a special period of risk for the development of eating disorders. On another hand, the onset in adolescence is seen as a good prognostic factor (Lawrence, Salsa & Mendes, 2006) Aims: The purpose of this study was to identify in a sample of children and adolescents in public schools from a Portuguese city, predictive risk factors for eating disorders, with the end of understanding how different factors may underwrite the development of these disorders, by exploring and evaluating the inter influence and the way various individual, family and social variables interact . It was also aim of this study to comparatively analyse responses of children and adolescents and from a sample of mothers regarding the satisfaction of these with their children's real body image perception as well as the desired body image. Method: A total of 1434 children and adolescents from different public schools of a city in southern Portugal, 48,3% (N = 693) girls and 51,7% (N = 741) boys with ages between 10 and 16 years old, by using a research protocol consisting in instruments to identify risk variables, including socio-cultural and family (social models and influence of the media, mother's perceived body image, perceived social support) and individual psychological conditions (perfectionism, body image, body image dissatisfaction, body image distortion and self-concept). The replies obtained were compared with a sample of mothers in relation to their children perceived body image, the desired image and divergences between both. Results: Results obtained in relation to socio-cultural variables, family and individual psychological conditions indicate the existence of dissatisfaction with body image in children and adolescents in the sample and both gender differences in relation to dissatisfaction. Body image distortion was also found. Media influence such as models and publicity were found at specific ages in our sample. With regard to the perceived social support, generally there was a lack of perceived social support for the main sources of support. Finally, perfectionism seems to reveal a relationship with both dieting and bulimic symptoms. Conclusion: We consider that the results of our study provide relevant information about population in which risk was found, that could benefit from specific intervention programs to this problem, as we identified in the sample several variables considered as risk for developing of this disorders.