Psychological Separation, Self‐Control, and Weight Preoccupation Among Elite Women Athletes

Given the paucity of research on the prevalence of eating disorders in college athletes, the authors raised two questions: (a) Is weight preoccupation more prevalent among elite women athletes than among their nonathletic counterparts? (b) Does the empirical link between psychological distress and weight preoccupation pertain to elite athletes as well? Results showed that 10.9% of a sample of elite swimmers could be characterized as “weight preoccupied,” a percentage comparable to the general population of college women. In addition, the athletes reported using significantly more benign than punitive self‐control strategies, suggesting for them, weight preoccupation is a means to an end rather than an indication of an eating disorder. Implications for counseling are discussed. 1994 American Counseling Association