{"id":10802,"date":"2018-05-08T11:25:29","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T02:25:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ibpsych.themantic-education.com\/?p=10802"},"modified":"2018-05-08T11:25:29","modified_gmt":"2018-05-08T02:25:29","slug":"sociocultural-etiologies-of-bulimia-nervosa-and-studies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2018\/05\/08\/sociocultural-etiologies-of-bulimia-nervosa-and-studies\/","title":{"rendered":"Sociocultural etiologies of bulimia nervosa (and studies)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Background Information <\/b><\/p>\n

Research has shown that body dissatisfaction<\/strong> is widespread amongst Western teenage girls and adult women.<\/span> Furthermore, body dissatisfaction has been found to be an independent predictor of disordered eating. This makes it a significant risk factor in the development of Bulimia Nervosa (BN) and other eating disorders.<\/span><\/p>\n

Body dissatisfaction:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>being unhappy with one’s body. It’s usually measured by comparing self-ratings of “ideal body shape” compared with “current body shape.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But why is body dissatisfaction increasing? This has been the subject of numerous research studies that aim to establish a correlation, if not a causal link, between body dissatisfaction and socio-cultural factors, such as exposure to media. <\/span><\/p>\n

The study described below attempted to use sophisticated and thorough statistical analysis to assess how strongly the association was between exposure to the media and body dissatisfaction, as well as to determine factors that could predict body dissatisfaction based on gender.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Spanish Teenagers, The Media and Body Dissatisfaction: Methodology and Results<\/b><\/p>\n

The research used a cross-sectional<\/span> design and gathered 1,165participants from 52 high schools from across Spain. The students were aged 14-16 years old (M=14.9). The participants\u2019 ages, weights and <\/span>Body Mass Indexes<\/b> (BMIs) <\/b>were recorded. The data gathered was processed with statistical software in order to determine the strength of the relationships between the IVs (e.g. BMI, gender, body dissatisfaction, extent of exposure to TV\/magazines, self-esteem, etc.). <\/span><\/p>\n

The researchers gathered a range of data using questionnaires and inventories on the following areas:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Exposure to Mass Media: <\/b>This questionnaire sought to find out how much TV the teenagers watched and the nature of the TV shows (e.g. sitcoms, documentaries, cartoons etc.), how many magazines they read and the nature of those magazines (e.g. fashion, fitness, hobbies etc), and how exposed the teenagers were to media (i.e. TV and magazines) related to body image (e.g. beauty, sports, health). <\/span><\/p>\n

Disordered Eating Patterns: <\/b>Data on disordered eating patterns was also gathered, using an \u201cEating Attitudes Test\u201d. This involves answering questions regarding eating behaviours (e.g. avoiding eating when hungry, vomiting after eating) using a 6-point Likert scale, ranging from never to always. <\/span><\/p>\n

Social Comparison Of Body Image: <\/b>The extent to which the participants compared themselves to others (social comparison) was measured using a \u201cPhysical Appearance Comparison Scale\u201d that was a brief questionnaire that only had five items. Another 6 point Likert scale was used as above. An example question was: \u201cAt parties or other social events, I compare my physical appearance to the physical appearance of others\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n

Awareness and Idealization of Thin Ideal: <\/b>Whether or not the teenagers were aware of an idealization of thinness, and if they believed in that idealization as well (i.e. it was internalized) was measured using another questionnaire of 21 statements. The participants selected a response ranging from total agreement to total disagreement. An example of a question was: \u201cI believe that clothes look better on thin models\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n

Level of Self-Esteem: <\/b>Self-esteem was measured using another questionnaire consisting of 10 items that assessed the individual\u2019s general attitude towards themselves. An example question is: \u201cOn the whole, I am satisfied with myself.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

RESULTS<\/h2>\n

Interestingly, the results showed that there was <\/span>no<\/span><\/i> correlation between the <\/span>total<\/span><\/i> levels of exposure to the media (TV and magazines) and body dissatisfaction. However, females who were dissatisfied with their bodies were more exposed to media related to topics such as dieting, fitness, beauty, health and music videos. This is similar to previous research studies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The results did show<\/i> statistically significant correlations between body dissatisfaction and the following factors:<\/p>\n