Eating Disorder Symptomatology and Self-Concept in Late Childhood and Early Adolescence: A Cross-Lagged Longitudinal Approach

The present study examined the longitudinal associations and directionality of effects between self-concept and eating disorder symptoms in late childhood and early adolescence. A total of 380 participants (Time 1: 52.2% female; M age = 9.97 years, SD = 0.84, range = 8–12 years) completed self-report questionnaires annually for 3 years. Cross-lagged panel models were used to examine the associations over time between global and domain-specific self-concept (i.e., physical appearance, scholastic competence, athletic competence, social acceptance and behavioral conduct) and eating disorder symptoms. The findings revealed that lower global self-concept and appearance-related self-concept predicted higher eating disorder symptoms over time, and vice versa. Eating disorder symptoms also negatively predicted scholastic competence and behavioral conduct over time. These results underscore the developmental interplay between self-concept and eating disorder symptoms, highlighting the importance of early self-concept interventions to prevent eating disorder symptomatology in children transitioning to adolescence.