Women’s attribution for failure to compensate after an incidence of overeating

Abstract

Background: People tend to develop compensatory intentions after indulging in unhealthy behaviors, but rarely enact these intentions. This study explored women’s causal attribution for failure to implement compensatory intentions after an incidence of overeating. Additionally, it tested whether women with internal, vs. external, attributions differ regarding BMI, self-efficacy, intention, and perceived implementation success. Methods: An online survey, spread through social media, was completed by 478 women (Mage = 29.7 yrs., SD = 12.4) who wanted to lose (56%) or maintain weight. Measures: frequency of overeating, self-efficacy (2 items), compensation intention (9 items), perceived success (1 item), and reason for failure (open question). The open-answers were coded as internal or external attribution. Findings: The most frequently reported reason was ‘too busy/no time’ (external). Other reasons were ‘lack of motivation’ (internal), ‘too little self-discipline’ (internal), ‘too much temptation’ (external), and ‘situational factors’ (external). Overall, slightly more external attributions (55.1%) were reported. Internal, compared to external, attributers did not differ in BMI, but reported greater self-efficacy, intention, and perceived implementation success. Discussion: Further research should examine whether internal attributions positively predict compensatory behavior.