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Amanda Williams
Abstract
The current study marks the first attempt to examine the possible relationship between athletic scholarship, hypercompetitiveness, and disordered eating among female collegiate cross-country runners. One-hundred and sixteen runners from 15 NCAA Division I and Division III athletic programs completed the Hypercompetitive Attitude (HCA) Scale and the Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3). Although the HCA Scale and EDI-3 were found to be significantly correlated (r = .54, p < .001), D-I scholarship runners (n = 42) did not obtain significantly higher scores than non-scholarship runners (n = 74). These results suggest that, irrespective of competition level or scholarship status, athletes whose self-esteem relies too heavily on competitive outcomes should be closely monitored for unhealthy eating attitudes and behaviors.