B4646 - Association between Locus of control and disordered eating - 24/06/2024

B number: 
B4646
Principal applicant name: 
Francesca Solmi | UCL (United Kingdom)
Co-applicants: 
Title of project: 
Association between Locus of control and disordered eating
Proposal summary: 

Locus of control is described as the way an individual perceives the outcome of events in their life as caused by their own actions (internal) or caused by outside factors uncontrolled by them (external). Research has linked locus of control, particularly external locus of control, with psychopathology, such as depressive symptoms, social anxiety symptoms, and psychotic-like experiences.

There is some evidence indicating that it may also be a risk factor for eating disorders. However, this research is mostly cross-sectional so it can't be ruled out that external locus of control is a consequence of eating disorders. To date, there is a lack of longitudinal research on this association, which limits our understanding of whether there is a causal association.

The present study aims to bridge this gap in the literature by investigating the association between external locus of control in childhood at age 8 and eating disorder symptoms in adolescence at age 16.

Impact of research: 
This study will be one of the first to investigate this question longitudinally, in a general population dataset. the findings will help us improve our understanding of aetiological risk factors for eating disorders which will ultimately aid understanding of how they can be successfully prevented in the population
Date proposal received: 
Friday, 21 June, 2024
Date proposal approved: 
Monday, 24 June, 2024
Keywords: 
Epidemiology, Mental health, Statistical methods