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EATING DISORDERS: SOCIOLOGICAL FACTORSMAIN DISCUSSION For many…
EATING DISORDERS: SOCIOLOGICAL FACTORSMAIN DISCUSSION
For many years, researchers and clinicians who work with individuals with eating disorders including anorexia and bulimia have been dedicated to working predominantly with Caucasian females. For example, as noted in Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology, “Between 75 and 90 percent of all cases of anorexia nervosa occur in females” (Comer, 2019, p. 266). However, this may be changing in some significant ways, as evidenced in the video program entitled The Perfect Image. This documentary on eating disorders in elite gymnasts depicts one man’s experiences with anorexia nervosa, demonstrating that eating disorders can also affect men. In a similar way, the section titled “Multicultural Factors: Racial and Ethnic Differences,” beginning on page 280 in the textbook, highlights increasing similarities between women from other ethnic minority groups and Caucasian American women with respect to their concerns about weight and appearance, their dieting practices, and their vulnerability to the development of eating disorders. In this week’s Discussion, you will comment on and share your reactions to this changing landscape for eating disorders.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
WEEKLY RESOURCES
Comer, R. J., & Comer, J. S. (2019). Fundamentals of abnormal psychology (9th ed.). Worth.
Chapter 9, “Eating Disorders”
Chapter 10, “Substance Use and Addictive Disorders”
Bujarski, S., O’Malley, S. S., Lunny, K., & Ray, L. A. (2013). The effects of drinking goal on treatment outcome for alcoholismLinks to an external site.. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 81(1), 13-22.
Jackson, T. & Chen, H. (2015). Features of objectified body consciousness and sociocultural perspectives as risk factors for disordered eating among lateadolescent women and menLinks to an external site.. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 62(4), 741-752.
Koerkel, J. (2006). Behavioral self-management with problem drinkers: One-year followup of a controlled drinking group treatment approachLinks to an external site.. Addiction Research & Theory, 14(1), 35-49.
Review the Learning Resources on eating disorders, including the article by Jackson & Chen (2015).
Consider the role of sociocultural factors in some of these recent developments in the area of eating disorders.
The Perfect Image – A documentary on eating disorders” %
Program Transcript %
AUBREE BALKAN: Gymnastics, a physically and mentally demanding sport, one that
constantly pushes its athletes to the edge, many of whom start before the age of six.
I’m Aubree Balkan, and I was an elite level gymnast. I also had an eating disorder. Even after
leaving the sport, I still dealt with it in the effects. So I presented myself with the question, is it
the sport itself, or is it some other influence that plays a role in the development of eating
disorders in elite level athletes?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
What is the prevalence of eating disorders in elite level gymnasts, and is it more widespread in
this group than what normally occurs in young adults? According to a study by Sundgot, Borgen,
and Torstveit, 42% of female athletes competing in aesthetic sports such as gymnastics suffer
from an eating disorder, while conversely, the Renfrew Center Foundation for Eating Disorders
found that roughly 25% of college age sophomore engage in binging and purging as a weight
management technique. Placing these statistics side by side, we can see that there is a
significantly higher rate of eating disorders among female participants in aesthetic sports.
However, this problem is not limited to women alone. Eating disorders are an under-recognized
problem in male athletes as well. The National Eating Disorders Association estimates that
approximately 33% of male athletes in aesthetic sports are also affected by eating disorders.
JEREMY WELKS: I was on an airplane, and at the time, my eating disorder was at it’s worst. I
started making small talk to the lady next to me. And for no reason, she just looked at me and
said, you know, I don’t know why I’m telling you this. But I just came back from the hospital and
my daughter is suffering from anorexia and she’s down to 68 pounds. I was confused at first. And
I just kind of felt the need to spill everything. We talked for a while, and she ended up telling me
that I needed to get help or I wouldn’t have a future to worry about. And it was like at that very
moment, I realized I need to actually take the steps to get that help.
AUBREE BALKAN: While the exact cause for the increased risk of eating disorders among
aesthetic athletes is unclear, many gymnasts who suffer from an eating disorder have the
tendency to begin dieting early in their career to improve performance. This practice, coupled
with the extremely young age that most gymnasts enter the sport, creates an early and dangerous
obsession with dieting and weight loss.
In addition, many of these athletes face direct pressure from trusted sources, such as peers,
coaches, and even parents to pursue and maintain an unnatural and unhealthy weight. Looking at
this early obsession with weight loss and body image, strengthened by group and peer pressure,
along with the sport’s focus on perfectionism, it becomes easy to imagine why so many young
athletes develop an eating disorder. But what are the effects of this disorder on these athletes?
What are they giving up in their pursuit for perfection?
The disorder ravages the mind as well as the body. Some of the factors that lead to the
development of the disorder in the first place, predominantly low self-esteem and poor body
Jeffrey Griffith. (2012, May 3). The Perfect Image – A documentary on eating disorders
[Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRuCI5PvApU. Used with
permission of Jeffrey Griffith.
The Perfect Image – A documentary on eating disorders” %
Program Transcript %
image, are further exasperated by its practice. Many sufferers, especially those who practice
binge eating, feel a severe loss of control, leaving then to endure plunging self-esteem and self-
induced social ostracism.
Even without the psychological and emotional turmoil, the health risks of an eating disorder
alone are startling. Athletes who suffer from eating disorders, such as bulimia or anorexia, face
serious medical complications including osteoporosis, disruption or cessation of the menstrual
cycle, inflammation of the esophagus, and heart damage.
These threats are very real and very dangerous, even among the elite of the sport. Olympic
gymnast Cathy Rigby was hospitalized twice during her career from near fatal electrolyte
imbalances, created from her bulimia. In 1994, elite gymnast Christie Henrich died from multiple
organ failure as a direct result of her anorexia. She was only 22.
Unfortunately, there is no accepted standard for treating and curing the ingrained psychological
habits and mentality of an eating disorder. But techniques, such as hospitalization, medical care,
interventions, and nutritional counseling are all employed. One of the strongest methods for
overcoming an eating disorder is early detection. Symptoms can be hard to identify, but frequent
consumption of large quantities of food in short periods of time, preoccupation with food and
body weight, and rapid, unexplained weight loss can all indicate an eating disorder.
Personally, even though I sought help for my disorder over a year ago and haven’t participated in
gymnastics in over two years, both remain a huge part of my life. I still think about them every
day. Identifying the problem is just the first step. Moving past it may take much longer, perhaps
the rest of my life.
I’m Aubree Balkan. I was an elite gymnast, and I have an eating disorder.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Jeffrey Griffith. (2012, May 3). The Perfect Image – A documentary on eating disorders
[Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRuCI5PvApU. Used with
permission of Jeffrey Griffith.
2
Post an analysis of the sociocultural risk factors contributing to a rise in eating disorders in both men and women in a variety of racial and ethnic groups. Include in your analysis an explanation of the factors that present the most risk for these groups, as well as your thoughts about why there has been an increase in and “spread” of these disorders. Be sure to justify your response with citations from the Learning Resources as well as at least one outside resource. Finally, given your new understanding regarding the development of eating disorders, comment on whether you think it is possible to develop a comprehensive sociocultural risk factor model and why (refer to Chapter 2, “Models of Abnormality”).
