Change in risk factors for eating disorder symptomatology in Malay students sojourning in the United Kingdom

The Sociostructural-Intersectional Body Image (SIBI) framework: Understanding the impact of white supremacy in body image research and practice

White supremacy and racial inequities have long pervaded psychological research, including body image scholarship and practice. The experiences of white, heterosexual, able-bodied, cisgender (predominantly college) women from wealthy, Westernized nations have been centered throughout body image research and practice, thereby perpetuating myths of invulnerability among racialized groups and casting white ideals and experiences as the standard by which marginalized bodies are compared. Body image is shaped by multiple axes of oppression that exist within systemic and structural systems, ultimately privileging certain bodies above others. In this position paper, we highlight how white supremacy has shaped body image research and practice. In doing so, we first review the history of body image research and explain how participant sampling, measurement, interpretive frameworks, and dissemination of research have upheld and reinforced white supremacy. Next, grounded in inclusivity and intersectionality, we advance the Sociostructural-Intersectional Body Image (SIBI) framework to more fully understand the body image experiences of those with racialized and minoritized bodies, while challenging and seeking to upend white supremacy in body image research and practice. We encourage other scholars to utilize the SIBI framework to better understand body inequities and the body image experiences of all people, in all bodies.

Acculturation and eating disorders: a systematic review

PURPOSE

Acculturation, or the dual process of cultural change that takes place due to the interaction between two or more cultural identities, may contribute to the susceptibility of developing an eating disorder (ED). We conducted a systematic review exploring the relationship between acculturation-related constructs and ED pathology.

METHODS

We searched the PsychINFO and Pubmed/Medline databases up to December 2022. Inclusion criteria were: (1) having a measure of acculturation or related constructs; (2) having a measure of ED symptoms; and (3) experiencing cultural change to a different culture with Western ideals. 22 articles were included in the review. Outcome data were synthesized by narrative synthesis.

RESULTS

There was variability in the definition and measure of acculturation in the literature. Overall, acculturation, culture change, acculturative stress, and intergenerational conflict were associated with ED behavioral and/or cognitive symptoms. However, the nature of the specific associations differed depending on the specific acculturation constructs and ED cognitions and behaviors measured. Furthermore, cultural factors (e.g., in-group vs. out-group preferences, generational status, ethnic group, gender) impacted the relationship between acculturation and ED pathology.

DISCUSSION

Overall, this review highlights the need for more precise definitions of the different domains of acculturation and a more nuanced understanding of the specific relationship between various acculturation domains and specific ED cognitions and behaviors. Most of the studies were conducted in undergraduate women and in Hispanic/Latino samples, limiting generalizability of results.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level V, Opinions of respected authorities, based on descriptive studies, narrative reviews, clinical experience, or reports of expert committees.

Internalization of Appearance Ideals and Not Religiosity Indirectly Impacts the Relationship Between Acculturation and Disordered Eating Risk in South and Southeast Asian Women Living in the United States

Objective

Studies that examine disordered eating in samples of Asian individuals living in the United States frequently combine all individuals of Asian descent into a single group, which can obscure important differences between groups and their experiences of acculturation. The goal of the present study was to establish the relation of acculturation, internalization of appearance ideals, and religiosity as predicting body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in women of South and Southeast Asian (SSEA) descent.

Method

Women of SSEA descent (N = 112) aged 18-51 years (M = 23.10, SD = 6.4) completed a battery of questionnaires that inquire about these variables. A path analysis was conducted with acculturation serving as the independent (exogenous) variable, religiosity and internalization of the thin ideal as mediators, and body dissatisfaction and disordered eating as dependent (endogenous) variables.

Results

Direct paths from acculturation to both body dissatisfaction and disordered eating were not significant. Thin ideal internalization completely accounted for the path from acculturation to both endogenous variables; whereas, religiosity did not significantly account for any indirect effect.

Discussion

For SSEA women, internalization of appearance ideals is a potentially greater risk factor for disordered eating than acculturation or religiosity. As this was an atemporal mediation analysis, more work needs to be done exploring predictors of internalization in this population and how that may impact the development of disordered eating.

The Role of Sociocultural Factors in the Etiology of Eating Disorders

Most theories emphasize the role of sociocultural factors in the etiology of eating disorders (EDs). This article uses a broad search strategy to identify current etiologic studies. Women with an ED outnumber men in each diagnosis, but gender differences vary by diagnosis. Men were underrepresented in study samples, and information about variable risk factors in men is sparse. Findings suggest transdiagnostic risk factors and disorder-specific risk factors. Extracting data from population-based registers represents a major advance. Novel analytic approaches suggest complex pathways to ED. Although used in several studies, reliance on a transdiagnostic ED category (vs diagnosis-specific groupings) is premature.

Culture Change and Eating Patterns: A Study of Georgian Women

Introduction: Immigration and culture change have been thought to affect various aspects of psychological well-being, including eating behaviors. This study aimed to examine the association between immigration, acculturation strategies and eating patterns. Materials and Methods: Acculturation was conceptualized and measured by acculturation strategies of integration (maintaining original culture and adopting the new culture), assimilation (adopting the new culture and leaving behind the old), separation (sticking with the original culture only) and marginalization (maintaining/adopting neither culture). Eating patterns were conceptualized by dietary restriction, eating concern, shape concern, and weight concern. Links between demographic variables, acculturation strategies, and eating patterns were also examined. Five hundred and six Georgian women took part in the study: 253 living abroad (UK and USA) and 253 living in Georgia. Measures included East Asian Acculturation Measure (EAAM) for acculturation strategies (assimilation, integration, separation, and marginalization subscales) and Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDEQ) for eating patterns (dietary restriction, eating concern, weight concern, shape concern subscales, and global score). Relevant demographic variables and Body Mass Index (BMI) were recorded. Results: Comparisons of immigrant and nonimmigrant groups using Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) with BMI as a covariate found a difference in dietary restriction only, with immigrants yielding higher mean score than non-immigrants. The global EDEQ scores of immigrant and nonimmigrant groups were almost identical though. Correlations between separation and marginalization and four EDEQ scores were statistically significant and positive, while correlations between integration and two EDEQ subscales were marginally significant and negative. Regression analysis showed that separation and marginalization strategies of acculturation were significantly linked with EDEQ eating concern, shape concern, weight concern, and global scores thereby representing predictors of elevated eating outcomes. Discussion: Findings suggested that moving to Western countries increased dietary restriction among Georgian women. Furthermore, while living abroad, the lack of integration in a host culture, as a common denominator of separation and marginalization strategies of acculturation, may predict elevated eating, shape, and weight concerns among women relocated over six years ago. Acculturation conditions may also be linked with integration or well-being outcomes.