Causes of Eating Disorders (Sociocultural, Psychological, & Biological) PDF

Causes of Eating Disorders (Sociocultural, Psychological, & Biological) The Eating Disorders in DSM-5-TR: S Anorexia nervosa S Bulimia nervosa S Binge-eating disorder S Other specified feeding or eating disorder Sociocultural Causal Factors Q: What aspects of our culture mi...

Causes of Eating Disorders (Sociocultural, Psychological, & Biological) The Eating Disorders in DSM-5-TR: S Anorexia nervosa S Bulimia nervosa S Binge-eating disorder S Other specified feeding or eating disorder Sociocultural Causal Factors Q: What aspects of our culture might encourage eating disorders? Some Relevant Cultural Forces: Patriarchy & Capitalism S Patriarchy: is a political-social system that socializes us all, telling us that “masculine” people/ things are more important, powerful, & valuable than “feminine” people/ things. Patriarchy is a cultural system that highly values men and “male” qualities, viewing them as central and important, while non-male people and qualities are not valued as much. S Consumerism/ Capitalism: places high priority on buying consumer goods and making monetary profit.  Messages from Media & Advertising S The Strength to Resist: Media’s Impact on Women: https://www.cambridgedocumentaryfilms.org/films Pages/resist.html (c. 30 min) S Jean Kilbourne: Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising’s Image of Women (45 min; is available on DVD in Rolvaag)  Q: If cultural factors are so powerful, why don’t all Western women develop an eating disorder? Stice et al.: Are eating d/o symptoms related to exposure to media? Correlational study of 238 female undergrads. Used structural equation modeling. Found significant positive correlation, plus three mediating variables : S Endorsement of gender-role stereotypes S Internalization of ideal-body stereotype S Body dissatisfaction Stice et al Results, cont.  Fredrickson et al. (1998), That Swimsuit Becomes You: Self-Objectification Theory S Objectification theory: “American culture socializes women to adopt observers’ perspectives on their physical selves.” S Self-objectification: Women treat themselves as an object to be evaluated on the basis of appearance. S This self-objectification can be a trait or a state. S Self-objectification è self-consciousness and ê mental resources available for other tasks.  Frederickson et al.’s Studies Experimental study with undergrads: S Participants randomly assigned to try on a sweater or a bathing suit to “evaluate the clothing.” S Participants also completed a body shame measure, a food taste test, and a math test.  Fredrickson et al.’s Findings S Bathing suit/Self-objectification è Increased shame - for women only, and this related to restrained eating. S Bathing suit/Self-objectification è Decreased math performance - for women only. ********* S Conclusion: Self-objectification’s emotional & behavioral consequences were seen more in women than in men. Other Psychological Causal Factors in Eating Disorders S Behavioral: conditioned fear of fat; rewards for being thin; modeling S Cognitive: body perception inaccuracy; overvalue appearance; dichotomous reasoning; mental filter; catastrophizing S Family structure: enmeshment S Emotion regulation (& psychodynamic) S Personality factors: low SE, autonomy & control issues, desire to please, perfectionism Biological Causal Factors in Eating Disorders S Genetics S Anorexia: MZ = 70%; DZ = 20% S Bulimia: MZ = 23%; DZ = 9% S Neurotransmitters: Serotonin, glutamate, dopamine activity? S Brain circuits related to GAD, OCD, & MDD? (don’t know if it’s cause or effect, though) S Hypothalamus regulates appetite and eating Treatments for Eating Disorders S Psychoeducation to recognize, challenge, and change cultural and media influences S Nutritional rehabilitation: Correct dangerous eating patterns, and for anorexia, gain weight quickly (feedings, rewards; motivational interviewing) S Psychotherapy: Address underlying psychological and situational issues (e.g., cognitive-behavioral therapy, insight therapy, family therapy, exposure and response prevention) S Antidepressant medications for bulimia