Eating disorder literacy and stigmatising attitudes towards anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder among adolescents

O’Connor, Clíodhna; McNamara, Niamh; O’Hara, Lesley; McNicholas, Fiona

doi:10.1080/21662630.2015.1129635

Cited by 19 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…A nationwide survey by O’Conner et al [ 60 ] of 290 Irish adolescents aged 15–19 years old was conducted to assess ED literacy and attitudes in secondary schools. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of five vignettes depicting AN, BN, BED, type 1 diabetes, or depression.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A total of 13 studies were reviewed, including nine community studies and four studies of various healthcare professionals. A lack of self-discipline or self-control was perceived to contribute more to the development of BED than illnesses such as depression or Type 1 diabetes [ 57 , 60 ]. Moreover, strength in the belief that a “lack of self-discipline” was causal was associated with more stigmatizing attitudes [ 58 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Two community studies demonstrated a surprisingly low level of public awareness that BED was a discreet eating disorder [ 59 , 60 ]. An earlier Australian population study found that the public perceived binge eating as a problem of depression or low self-esteem, rather than an eating disorder per se [ 59 ], and none of the high school students in an Irish study accurately recognized BED [ 60 ]. More recently, a higher proportion of adolescents in Australia correctly recognized BED than BN, yet this percentage was only one-third for boys and 43% for girls [ 64 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While it is encouraging that half of the adolescents in that study agreed that BED was serious and required professional treatment, this proportion was lower compared to BN [ 64 ]. Another study found that high school students ascribed fewer positive personality traits to BED than to major depression or AN [ 60 ]. Poor awareness and negative attitudes toward BED by younger persons is particularly worrisome, as this cohort is at-risk for the development of EDs, which tend to track over time, and attitudes held by their peers are considered pivotal for social support or stigmatization [ 60 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Four studies [ 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ] investigated healthcare professionals, and nine studies investigated samples from the community [ 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 ]. Of the community studies, five were university samples of undergraduates [ 56 , 57 , 58 , 61 , 63 ], two were general population health surveys [ 59 , 62 ], and two investigated adolescents [ 60 , 64 ]. A brief description of these studies followed by a discussion is provided below to serve as a comprehensive resource for further investigations.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Public and Healthcare Professionals’ Knowledge and Attitudes toward Binge Eating Disorder: A Narrative Review

Reas

2017

Nutrients

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Binge eating disorder (BED) is characterized by recurrent binge eating and marked distress in the absence of inappropriate compensatory behaviors for weight control. BED is prevalent in men and women, is associated with elevated psychosocial and functional impairment, and is associated strongly with obesity and related medical comorbidities. The aim is to provide a brief, state-of-the-art review of the major and recent findings to inform educational and awareness campaigns, stigma reduction interventions, as well as current clinical practice and future research. A narrative approach was used to synthesize emerging literature on the public and healthcare professionals’ knowledge and attitudes toward individuals with BED in comparison to other eating disorders (EDs) or mental illness. A total of 13 articles were reviewed. Nine studies investigated community samples and four studies investigated healthcare professionals. The reviewed literature suggested that BED is perceived by the public as less impairing, less severe, and “easier-to-treat” than other EDs. Attitudes and beliefs reflecting perceived blameworthiness and lack of self-discipline were ascribed to vignettes with BED. Community studies indicated a low level of public awareness that BED constitutes a discreet eating disorder. The literature on healthcare professionals’ knowledge and attitudes toward BED remains very limited. The few existing studies suggest encouraging trends in recognition and diagnostic accuracy, yet there remains a need for increased clinical awareness of BED-associated medical complications and knowledge of full BED diagnostic criteria.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Public and Healthcare Professionals’ Knowledge and Attitudes toward Binge Eating Disorder: A Narrative Review

Reas

2017

Nutrients

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Separating binge‐eating disorder stigma and weight stigma: A vignette study

Hollett

Carter

2021

Intl J Eating Disorders

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Objective Vignette research on binge‐eating disorder (BED) stigma is limited and lacking methodological rigor. Existing studies lack control vignettes and typically present characters with overweight or obesity, introducing the confound of weight stigma. This study examined BED stigma while addressing these limitations. Method Participants (N = 421) were assigned to read one of six vignettes describing a woman with either BED or no BED as well as either no mention of weight, a recommended weight, or an obese weight. Four questionnaires examined personality stereotypes, emotional reactions to the character, desire for social distance from the character, and blame attributions. Results The character with BED was ascribed more negative personality characteristics and faced less positive emotional reactions than the character without BED, regardless of weight status. However, BED stigma did not emerge for social distance or blame attributions. Regarding weight stigma, evidence was limited and moderated by the presence of BED, suggesting no additive effect between BED stigma and weight stigma. In fact, blame attributions toward the character with obesity were reduced by the presence of BED. Discussion The results reveal that BED is a highly stigmatized eating disorder and suggest that weight stigma may be driven by assumptions about a person's eating behavior rather than their body size per se. Future studies must consider the relationship between BED stigma and weight stigma when assessing either form of stigma. The results also indicate new information to be integrated into anti‐weight stigma campaigns as well as policy and public health initiatives.

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Stigma of Binge‐Eating Disorder in Hong Kong Chinese Adults: Effects of Weight Status, Diagnostic Labeling, and Etiological Explanations

Chan,

Po,

2024

Intl J Eating Disorders

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ObjectiveBinge‐eating disorder (BED) is a strongly stigmatized condition and is often complicated by weight stigma. Research on the intersection between BED and weight stigma is scarce especially in Chinese populations. The present study examined BED stigma in Chinese, whether BED stigma was independent from weight stigma, and whether diagnostic labeling and etiological explanations influenced the degree of BED stigma.MethodUsing a between‐subject experimental vignette study, 642 participants (mean age = 29.74 years, SD = 11.34) were randomly assigned to read one of the 18 vignettes, describing a character with information on BED symptoms, weight status, diagnostic labeling, and etiological explanations, followed by measures of stigma and help‐seeking intentions.ResultsThe character with BED symptoms was ascribed more negative personality characteristics, elicited more negative affective reactions, and triggered greater desired social distance compared to the character without BED symptoms. No evidence for weight stigma was found nor for its interaction with BED stigma. The Cantonese diagnostic label of BED, kwong sik zing, was associated with lower levels of volitional stigma and greater help‐seeking intentions than the diagnostic label of eating disorders, jam sik sat tiu, and the absence of labeling. The effect of etiological explanations was only significant in the univariate test, indicating that providing either a psychosocial or a biogenetic etiological explanation lessened the negative evaluations of personality characteristics.DiscussionThe present study provided first evidence for BED stigma in Chinese. BED stigma appeared to be attributable to the presence of disordered eating behavior rather than the BED diagnosis.

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Eating disorder literacy and stigmatising attitudes towards anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder among adolescents

Cited by 19 publications

References 36 publications

Public and Healthcare Professionals’ Knowledge and Attitudes toward Binge Eating Disorder: A Narrative Review

Public and Healthcare Professionals’ Knowledge and Attitudes toward Binge Eating Disorder: A Narrative Review

Separating binge‐eating disorder stigma and weight stigma: A vignette study

Stigma of Binge‐Eating Disorder in Hong Kong Chinese Adults: Effects of Weight Status, Diagnostic Labeling, and Etiological Explanations

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