| Body-image disturbance, characterized by negative body-image and low body consciousness, is a core feature of anorexia and bulimia, both of which are affecting more females at increasingly younger ages. It was hypothesized that individuals who score low on measures of body experience and mindfulness will have more symptoms of body-image disturbance and eating disorders, with lower overall well-being and life satisfaction. Inversely, it was hypothesized that individuals who scored high on measures of body experience and mindfulness were more likely to have fewer symptoms of body-image disturbance and eating disorders and greater overall well-being and life satisfaction. Participants were 128 adult females, with and without anorexia and with higher versus lower-symptomology bulimia, who completed 8 surveys on a Web site. A one-way Analysis of Variance was calculated, demonstrating that individuals with anorexia and higher-symptomology bulimia scored significantly higher in tests measuring body-image disturbance and significantly lower in tests measuring body experience and mindfulness, with more negative thinking and lower overall life-satisfaction, when compared to individuals without anorexia and higher-symptomology bulimia, respectively. Additionally, positive moderate correlations were found indicating similarities between individuals with anorexia and higher-symptomology bulimia and between individuals without anorexia and lower-symptomology bulimia. Therefore, individuals with anorexia and more severe bulimia appear not to practice mindfulness, possibly because they equate being mindful with “feeling fat.” This may be attributed to lack of learning, cognitive impairments, or willful choice, which are explored. |
