Examining body image as a mediator of the relationship between children's depressive symptoms and bulimia and food preoccupation in adolescence: Do gender differences exist

The present study examines whether body image mediates the relationship between childhood depressive symptoms and food preoccupation. Furthermore, whether potential gender differences among how risk factors of food preoccupation relate are examined. The study utilized data from a subsample of 698 participants of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD). The results from structural equation modeling analyses indicate that body image partially mediates the relationship between depressive symptoms and food preoccupation. Although gender differences were examined, no differences were found to be significant. Results contribute to the literature by examining how putative risk factors are prospectively related to each other across a developmental trajectory.