%0 Journal Article %T A Set of Meta-Analytic Studies on the Factors Associated with Disordered Eating %A Emma P. Vince %A Ian Walker %J The Internet Journal of Mental Health %D 2008 %I %X Objective: To consolidate knowledge from research on associates of disordered eating to guide future research efforts, asking ¡°which factors are associated with the presence of disturbed eating/ anorexia/ bulimia?¡± Method: We reviewed 232 studies, comprising 87,878 participants, through 74 individual meta-analyses under 12 associative factor category headings.Results: Race had no association (r = .02), whilst anxiety (r = .47) and depression (r = .39) were modestly associated with disordered eating. Women with eating disorders were more likely than controls to have experienced abuse (r = .19), personality disorders (r = .26), an increased tendency to self-harm (r = .37), various personality traits such as perfectionism (r = .30) and hostility (r = .40), and engage in more exercise (r = .13). A higher incidence of stressful life events were reported by women with bulimia (r = .23) but not by women with other eating disorders.Conclusions: Although disturbed eating, anorexia and bulimia show similar associations with various factors, they also show some disorder-specific relationships, highlighting overlapping and unique aspects of the disorders. Suggestions to benefit further research are proposed based on these differences. %K Meta analysis %K Anorexia Nervosa %K Bulimia Nervosa %K Eating disorders %U http://www.ispub.com/ostia/index.php?xmlFilePath=journals/ijmh/vol5n1/meta.xml