Gender and Eating Disorders

Murnen, Sarah K.; Smolak, Linda

doi:10.1002/9781118574089.ch27

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 75 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…how well off the adolescent perceived their family to be) were assessed by asking the adolescents about their family financial circumstances compared with most others. The response options were [1] “better financial circumstances”, [2] “approximately like most others” and [3] “poorer financial circumstances”. The three SES variables were included separately in the regression analyses.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although eating disorders are rare in the general population, they are relatively more common among adolescent girls and young women compared with boys and young men [1, 2]. In a large, representative sample of US adolescents aged 13 to 18 years, the lifetime prevalence of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge-eating disorders (BED) were estimated to be 0.3, 0.9 and 1.6%, respectively [3], with higher prevalence in girls compared with boys [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Associations between symptoms of eating disturbance and frequency of physical activity in a non-clinical, population-based sample of adolescents

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Physical activity is an important factor related to eating disorders, but the relationship between symptoms of eating disorders and physical activity is multifaceted. The aims of this study were to investigate how symptoms of eating disturbance (ED) were associated with physical activity, and to explore potential sex differences and the potential moderating effects from body mass index (BMI) scores. Methods Data stem from a large population-based survey of 10,172 Norwegian adolescents aged 16 to 19 years, the youth@hordaland-survey. The main dependent variable was self-reported number of days with physical activity per week, while the main independent variable was self-reported symptoms of ED using the five-item Eating Disturbance Screening (EDS-5) questionnaire. Control variables included sex, age, socioeconomic status, and BMI. Results Girls reported substantially more symptoms of ED compared with boys ( M = 3.02 versus 1.32, d = 0.80, p < 0.001), as well as fewer days with physical activity per week ( M = 2.88 versus 3.46, d = − 0.28, p < 0.001). For both sexes, symptoms of ED were negatively associated with physical activity (adjusted mean differences (adj. mean diff) ranging from − 0.03 to − 0.08, all p < 0.05). Interaction analyses showed, however, that associations between symptoms of ED and physical activity were significantly moderated by BMI scores for both girls ( p < 0.01) and boys ( p < 0.05). Specifically, ED symptoms were associated with lower physical activity levels among adolescents with higher BMI scores. Conclusions The present study indicates that symptoms of ED were overall negatively associated with physical activity for both sexes during adolescence. However, associations between ED symptoms and physical activity levels differed considerably across the weight spectrum.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations between symptoms of eating disturbance and frequency of physical activity in a non-clinical, population-based sample of adolescents

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…First, although the epidemiological findings 4 vary and are complicated (compare, e.g., Cohn et al’s [ 49 ] review to the findings of Zerwas et al [ 63 ] and to the very recent review by van Eeden, van Hoeken, & Hoek, [ 64 ]), in many studies, particularly of adolescents and young adults, there are consistent and sometimes extraordinarily large women-to-men disparities in body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and eating disorders. Moreover, there is a mountain of quantitative, qualitative, and meta-analytic research evidence indicating that a variety of lived experiences and psychosocial influences many women experience throughout the life course are directly related to the spectrum of eating issues (see, e.g., [ 6 , 65 , 66 ]). As Levine & Smolak note, “the body has different meanings because of gender-based differences in actual experiences interacting with the larger culture” ([ 67 ], p. 140).…”

Section: Excluding and Blaming Menmentioning

confidence: 99%

An open invitation to productive conversations about feminism and the spectrum of eating disorders (part 1): basic principles of feminist approaches

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite the long history of feminist research in the field and the clear relevance of questions of gender to this sphere, many continue to question the relevance of feminism for understanding and treating eating disorders in 2022. In this set of two papers, we explore some of the tensions, omissions and misconceptions which surround feminist approaches to eating disorders. At the core of these two papers is our assertion that such approaches can make significant contributions in the eating disorders field along six key lines: enriching the science of eating disorders, unpacking diagnostics, contextualizing treatment and prevention, attending to lived experiences, diversifying methodologies, and situating recoveries. In this first paper, we outline what feminist approaches are and dig into some key tensions that arise when feminist approaches come to the table. These include critiques of sociocultural approaches to understanding eating disorders, the relationship between feminist approaches and biological and genetic attributions for eating disorders, and the role of men. We then offer a key contribution that feminist approaches have made to eating disorders scholarship: an invitation to unpack diagnostic approaches and situate eating disorders within the landscape of food, weight, and shape concerns in the twenty-first century.

show abstract

“…However, there is strong evidence for the relevance of biological factors in the etiology and symptomatology of ED ( Bulik et al, 2015 ; Culbert et al, 2015 ; Steinglass et al, 2019 ). We argue that advances in understanding of the interactions between sociocultural factors and gender specific biological developmental processes could provide promising insights ( Klump et al, 2012 ; Murnen and Smolak, 2015 ; Riva et al, 2015 ).…”

Section: Explanatory Models and The Question Of Gendermentioning

confidence: 99%

Theoretical and Methodological Considerations for Research on Eating Disorders and Gender

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Gender is a relevant factor in the etiology of eating disorders (ED) as evidenced by gender-specific components of disordered eating and by the high risk of ED among transgender individuals, in addition to other factors. However, research on connections between ED and gender identity are limited. Researchers who produce explanatory models, content themselves with faulting the sociocultural ideal of slimness for women, but they fail to grasp the connection between culture, gender and the body and they fall short of integrating this perspective into existing psychological knowledge about ED. Psychological research informed by feminist theory has begun to bridge this gap, but this growing area of research needs to be further developed and should include an understanding of ED in persons with all gender identities. This article expands the discussion of gender and ED, by grounding ED in an understanding of gender itself and by discussing methodological implications of this understanding.

show abstract

Gender and Eating Disorders

Cited by 9 publications

References 75 publications

Associations between symptoms of eating disturbance and frequency of physical activity in a non-clinical, population-based sample of adolescents

Associations between symptoms of eating disturbance and frequency of physical activity in a non-clinical, population-based sample of adolescents

An open invitation to productive conversations about feminism and the spectrum of eating disorders (part 1): basic principles of feminist approaches

Theoretical and Methodological Considerations for Research on Eating Disorders and Gender

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About