An investigation into the relationships between Personality, Coping styles and Self-Esteem and their impact upon Eating Habits, Eating Behaviours and Weight Perception among women

Abstract

Abstract: Objectives: The study aimed to examine the relationship between personality, self-esteem and coping strategies and their effect upon eating behaviours and weight perception. This came from a series of previous studies that examined some of these factors separately though not all together. Design: A cross-sectional, within-subjects design was used. Methods: 115 female subjects with a mean age of 21.3 years (SD= 2.94 years), completed a questionnaire as shown in Appendix 1. Results: All personality factors were positively correlated with problem-focused coping (P ≤ 0.01) indicating this is a positive coping strategy to employ. Following regression analyses it was found that Avoidant Coping was an independent predictor of all DEBQ subscales except Restrained Eating, with personality also being an independent predictor for several sub-scales. Weight Perception was independently predicted by Emotional Coping and Intellect-Imagination. Conclusions: It could be suggested that the coping strategy one employs in dealing with problems in their life may, in part, impact upon their eating behaviour and weight perception though their personality may also impact.