THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BODY DISSATISFACTION AND EATING DISORDER SYMPTOMS AMONG FEMALE STUDENTS IN A HIGHER EDUCATION

It is common for females to be conscious of their bodies, but the abnormal evaluation regarding their bodies can turn into body dissatisfaction. The problem commonly arises from the discrepancy feeling with an individual’s weight and shape, and it has become a prevalent issue in the recent decades. Given the constant pressure in meeting the society’s unrealistic beauty standards, particularly on females’ body shape and weight, previous findings found them to be closely related to changes of eating behaviour that may result in eating disorder symptoms, particularly among females undergoing the transition of young adulthood. However, the relationship between body dissatisfaction and eating disorders among young adult females in Malaysia is still understudied compared to the studies of its correlation conducted overseas. Hence, this quantitative correlational study aims to investigate the relationship between body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptoms among young adult females, particularly undergraduate females aged 18 to 26 years old in a higher education institution through the convenient sampling method that has been participated by 372 female students. The instruments used were the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ-34) and Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26). Based on the correlation results of this study, there is a significant relationship between body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptoms found, despite the low correlation. In conclusion, it is recommendable for future researchers to expand the sample size to other program levels in the higher institutions in order to provide more meaningful data.