100 Midlife Women With Eating Disorders: A Phenomenological Analysis of Etiology

Abstract

This study analyzed eating disorder (ED) etiological factors for 100 midlife women ED inpatients, grouped by ED onset age: < 40 and > or = 40 years. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis classified ED etiological influences into background contributors, immediate triggers, or sustainers. Family-of-origin issues, predominantly parental maltreatment, emerged as important background contributors, but not immediate ED triggers, regardless of onset age. Body image issues were also major background contributors regardless of onset age and further served as immediate ED triggers for many of the younger-onset patients, but not the older-onset patients. Family-of-choice and health issues were unimportant for younger-onset patients but were important ED contributors and triggers for older-onset patients. Emergent etiological differences suggest differential assessment and treatment needs for midlife ED patients based on ED onset age.

The Influence of Television and Film Viewing on Midlife Women's Body Image, Disordered Eating, and Food Choice

“…Even when a significant other or friend may not actually take issue with the way a woman looks, our data demonstrate that a woman viewing high amounts of these shows could hold this perception. This sensitivity is dangerous because it alters a woman's satisfaction with her body and could be associated with a midlife woman's propensity to alter that body via eating disorders or even cosmetic surgery (Kally & Cumella, 2008;McLean et al, 2010;Nabi, 2009).…”

Eating disorder symptoms and weight and shape concerns in a large web‐based convenience sample of women ages 50 and above: Results of the gender and body image (GABI) study

“…In contrast to population-based statistics, clinical investigations report the presence of late-onset eating disorders 4, 5 and reveal increasing inpatient admissions for eating disorder treatment in women ages 35 and over. 6 Emerging epidemiologic and clinical reports of women during mid-life suggest that eating disorders present in one of three ways—either a chronic presentation of an earlier-onset disorder without a period of recovery; a relapse of a remitted disorder that occurred earlier in life; or, a late-onset presentation with no past history.…”

Poor outcome and death among youth, young adults, and midlife adults with eating disorders: An investigation of risk factors by age at assessment

“…While a few reports have documented late onset cases of EDs, Scholtz et al argue, after thorough review, that late onset disorders are rare and are better represented as lifelong cases. Nonetheless, the majority of studies that include individuals in midlife have not focused on age at ED onset but rather on the presence of the disordered behaviors or diagnosis in midlife .…”