A recent study found that there may be a longitudinal link between financial stress and eating disorders among young women. Four hundred undergraduate women were questioned about their financial situation and food. The EAT (Eating Attitudes Test) was used for early identification of eating disorder symptoms.
Thomas Richardson, the lead researcher and a clinical psychologist stated:
“It may be that those at higher risk of having an eating disorder feel like they have no control over events in their life, such as their financial situation, and they may then restrict their eating as a way of exercising control in other areas of their life.”
The study also discovered that women from a lower financial affluent family background typically had a higher EAT score, indicating that women with greater financial stress may have more eating disorder issues.
“These links need to be further explored to determine causal mechanisms for the relationship between financial difficulties and eating attitudes,” Richardson concluded.
You can learn more details about the study here.