In the current study, I examined the general sociocultural model of eating disorders that suggests that sociocultural pressures leads to internalization, which in turn leads to body dissatisfaction and ultimately disordered eating. Because I am testing this model with a sample of African American women, I also am including acculturation as a variable of interest. Specifically, I hypothesized that (a) the experience of more societal pressure to be thin will be related to greater internalization, (b) higher levels of acculturation will be related to greater internalization, (c) internalization of the thin ideal will be directly and positively related to body image concern, and (d) body image concern will be associated with higher levels of disordered eating. It was determined that there is a direct, negative relationship between Level of Identification with Culture of Origin and Internalization. Perceived Pressure was directly and positively related to both Internalization and Body Image Concerns. Body Concerns and Internalization were both directly and positively related to Disordered Eating. These findings suggest that although many of the same constructs related to disordered eating in other ethnic groups are also related to disordered eating among African American women, the relationships between the factors differs across racial/ethnic groups. This information can help clinicians and researchers to better treat and understand the nature of disordered eating behavior and correlates among African American women.

La littérature sur les troubles de l’image du corps et l’alimentation a longtemps mis l’accent sur l’idéal de minceur et la population féminine. Cependant les hommes sont de plus en plus concernés par les préoccupations corporelles. Malgré le nombre croissant de travaux internationaux sur les troubles de l’image du corps et de l’alimentation dans la population masculine, les données françaises sont encore très restreintes. Ce travail à pour objectif d’étudier l’insatisfaction corporelle, l’insatisfaction musculaire et les troubles alimentaires chez les jeunes hommes français.Etude 1 – Objectif : Valider la version française du Body Esteem Scale (BES) chez les jeunes hommes. Un échantillon de 382 jeunes hommes a complété le Body Esteem Scale et le Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale. L’analyse factorielle confirmatoire n’a pas révélé une qualité d’ajustement satisfaisante du modèle original à trois facteurs (Apparence, Poids, Attribution). L’analyse factorielle exploratoire a mis en évidence quatre facteurs, le facteur Apparence, le facteur Désir de Changement, le facteur Poids et le facteur Sentiments. Les implications du BES paraissent intéressantes afin de disposer d’un outil d’évaluation de l’estime corporelle masculine approprié, permettant de prendre en compte les relations entre l’estime corporelle négative et la psychopathologie.Etude 2 – Objectifs : Etudier (1) les relations entre l’indice de masse corporelle (IMC) et l’estime corporelle, (2) le rôle prédictif des médias, des moqueries, de l’estime de soi et de la symptomatologie dépressive sur l’estime corporelle, (3) l’influence de l’estime corporelle sur la gêne corporelle durant les relations sexuelles, (4) la présence de troubles alimentaires chez les hommes et les facteurs de risque. Les questionnaires ont été complétés par un échantillon de 452 jeunes hommes. Les résultats indiquent que (1) la satisfaction envers le poids est la seule dimension liée à l’IMC, (2) les moqueries envers le poids, les pressions médiatiques, l’estime de soi et la dépression sont des prédicteurs significatifs de l’estime corporelle, (3) l’anxiété ressentie à l’égard du corps durant les rapports sexuels est liée à l’estime corporelle, (4) les sentiments envers le corps, l’estime de soi, les moqueries envers le surpoids et les informations diffusées par les médias sont des prédicteurs significatifs des troubles alimentaires. Cette étude montre la nécessité d’évaluer les différentes dimensions de l’insatisfaction corporelle, afin d’avoir une vision globale des troubles de l’image du corps et de l’alimentation spécifiques à la population masculine.Etude 3 – Objectif : Explorer les relations entre l’insatisfaction musculaire, les influences socioculturelles, l’estime de soi, la symptomatologie dépressive et les troubles alimentaires. Un échantillon de 335 jeunes hommes normopondérés a complété des questionnaires évaluant l’influence des médias, la fréquence des moqueries, l’estime de soi, la dépression et les troubles alimentaires. Les résultats indiquent que 84 % des participants sont insatisfaits musculairement. L’indice de masse corporelle est corrélé négativement à l’insatisfaction musculaire. Les liens existant entre l’insatisfaction musculaire, les facteurs socioculturels et individuels sont relativement faibles, suggérant que ces facteurs sont davantage liés à l’estime corporelle. L’insatisfaction musculaire n’est pas plus importante chez les participants présentant un trouble alimentaire probable. Ces résultats évoquent la possibilité que l’insatisfaction corporelle et l’insatisfaction musculaire concernent des dimensions différentes des troubles de l’image du corps.En conclusion : Les résultats de ces trois études participent à la compréhension des troubles de l’image du corps et de l’alimentation dans la population masculine française, et soulignent l’intérêt de poursuivre des recherches afin d’avoir une meilleure connaissance des facteurs qui contribuent à leur développement. / Historically, the emphasis in body image and eating disorders literature has been on women and thinness. However, men are increasingly struggling with body image concerns. Despite a growing interest in male body dissatisfaction and eating disorders, there is a lack of French studies on this subject. The present research, including three separate studies, aims to investigate body dissatisfaction, muscle dissatisfaction and eating disorders in French young men.Study 1 – Objective: To validate the French version of the Body Esteem Scale (BES) in a sample of French young men. A sample of 382 young men completed the Body Esteem Scale and the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale. The goodness-of-fit of the three factors model (Appearance, Weight, Attribution) was unsatisfactory. Exploratory factorial analysis yielded four factors (Appearance, Desire of change, Weight, Feelings). BES seems interesting for assessing male body esteem and taking into consideration the relationship between negative body esteem and psychopathology.Study 2 – Objective: To investigate (1) relationships between body mass index (BMI) and body esteem, (2) the relative contributions of media influence, weight-related teasing, self-esteem and depression to body esteem (3) the influence of negative body esteem on physical self-consciousness during sexual relations, (4) the rate of eating disorders and to determine possible risk factors. Questionnaires were completed by 452 young men. Results revealed that (1) BMI seemed to be only related to weight satisfaction (2) weight-related teasing, media pressure, self-esteem and depression were significant predictors of body esteem, (3) there was an association between physical self-consciousness during sexual relations and body esteem, (4) feelings about appearance and weight, self-esteem, overweight-related teasing and media information were significant predictors of eating disorders. This study emphasize the importance of taking into account different dimensions of body esteem for having a more global view of body image and eating disorders in men.Study 3 – Objective: To examine the relationships between muscle dissatisfaction, sociocultural influences, self-esteem, depression and eating disorders. A sample of 335 normal-weighted young men completed questionnaires assessing media influences, weight-related teasing, self-esteem, depression and eating disorders. Muscle dissatisfaction was reported by 84 % of participants. A negative correlation was found between body mass index and muscle dissatisfaction. Sociocultural and individual factors were weakly associated with muscle dissatisfaction, suggesting that these factors were more strongly associated with body esteem. No difference was found for muscle dissatisfaction between participants with and without eating disorders. Results suggest that body dissatisfaction and muscle dissatisfaction are distinct dimensions of body image disorders.Conclusion: The concluding results contribute to the understanding of body image and eating disorders in men, and highlight the importance of obtaining a more precise idea of the factors that play a role in their development.

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This study explored the possibility that some individuals with alcohol and amphetamine addictions are initially motivated to use alcohol and amphetamines because of underlying issues involving body dissatisfaction and weight reduction associated with Anorexia and Bilimia Nervosa. Current literature reveals similarities among chemical dependencies and eating disorders.

This project investigates the many influences throughout the life span that interact to cause obesity. Heredity factors, overfeeding in infancy and childhood, repeated dieting, inactivity, lifestyle and psychosocial conditions all contribute to the incidence of obesity.

Pro-anorexia is a complex, multi-layered phenomenon that exists only online. The women who participate in these websites are learning to negotiate how to manage an identity that is normalized within the group but stigmatized within larger society. Using an open-ended survey, distributed online directly to pro-ana website users, I aim to illustrate pro-anorexic experience. After a brief demographic sketch of typical pro-anorexic spaces, I examine pro-anorexia in depth by asking three primary research questions: 1) how do pro-anorexics craft their online identities within the community; 2) how do individuals interact with one another in a highly contested and heavily policed online social world; and 3) how does a counterculture negotiate its relationship with larger society? In asking these three questions, I am extending current academic understandings of pro-anorexia by spotlighting what pro-ana is in the words of the women who use these websites and engage in disordered eating behaviors.

In research on disordered eating in female collegiate athletes, psychosocial correlates including elevated scores on measures of body image concerns, weight pressures, sociocultural internalization, and mood state were found significantly more often in either the eating disorder or symptomatic group as opposed to the asymptomatic group. Unique or nuanced pressures exist for male athletes as well, specifically a different ideal for body image, often described by a drive for muscularity. I examined these effects in a sample of 698 male collegiate athletes. All participants completed questionnaires, which provided measures of drive for muscularity, social desirability, body satisfaction, negative affect, sociocultural pressures, sport weight pressures, and internalization and social comparison among other factors not pertinent for this analysis as part of a larger study. Exploratory factor analysis confirmed the existence of five factors (general and sport pressures, internalization, body dissatisfaction, negative affect and drive for muscularity) to which a sixth was added to reflect dietary intent, all of which are explained in the Petrie and Greenleaf sociocultural model. A logistic regression showed that dietary intent and drive for muscularity differentiated significantly between the symptomatic/eating disordered athletes and those who were asymptomatic.

Thesis advisor: Barbara E. Wolfe / Studies suggest that eating disorder (ED) pathology may be linked to ovulatory and unexplained infertility in women who present to reproductive treatment centers. Specifically, studies have linked hypothalamic amenorrhea, oligomenorrhea, and anovulatory cycles to disordered eating. Advances in Assisted Reproductive Technology can lead to successful conception for women with ED; however, they have a higher risk for poor maternal and fetal outcomes. This descriptive, comparative, quantitative study examined disordered eating and psychological symptoms in women with ovulatory and unexplained infertility compared with women receiving routine health care from their primary care providers. Women ages 20 to 44 were recruited. After providing verbal consent, a study packet was mailed to the study participant's home. The Eating Disorder Inventory-3-Referral Form and Herman and Polivy Restraint Scale measured disordered eating symptoms. The Speilberger Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory-II examined psychological symptoms. Provisional DSM IV TR diagnoses were ascertained using the Eating Disorder Inventory-3-Symptom Checklist, along with other scale items. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) confirmed that women with ovulatory and unexplained infertility had significantly higher Desire for Thinness (p = .001) and Bulimia (p = .007) subscale scores putting them at risk for Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia. Women receiving routine care had significantly higher Body Dissatisfaction (p = .000) subscale scores consistent with their higher weight and tendency toward overeating. Women receiving routine care also had significantly higher Restraint (p = .000) scale scores, leaving them at risk for dietary disinhibition. The groups did not differ on psychological symptoms. Women with infertility had lifetime ED diagnoses many times the national ED prevalence rate, similar to the research findings of Freizinger et al. (2010). The study results support that women with ovulatory and unexplained infertility are at risk for having an occult ED. The critical import of integrating ED assessment into infertility evaluation, reproductive and primary care was implicated. Further study to isolate biobehavioral markers to better identify women at risk for ED and improve their maternal and fetal outcomes was recommended. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Connell School of Nursing. / Discipline: Nursing.

Thesis advisor: Susan Kelly-Weeder / Refeeding Hypophosphatemia (RH) is the most common complication of nutritional restoration during medical hospitalization for individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN). Characterized by a drop in serum phosphorus levels, consequences of RH can be seen throughout the body and are potentially life threatening. Despite the seriousness of this outcome, little is known about which individuals with AN are at greatest risk of developing RH and best practices for prevention. The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to examine demographic, feeding, and biochemical factors found in hospitalized adolescent and young adults (AYA) diagnosed with AN that may contribute to the development of RH. Individuals diagnosed with AN who were admitted to Boston Children’s Hospital between the years of 2010-2016 were considered for inclusion. Three hundred charts were analyzed using logistic regression to determine factors associated with RH and multivariate regression to determine factors associated with serum phosphorus nadir. In the final logistic regression model, receiving nasogastric tube feeding (p=0.54), age at admission (p=.022), weight gain during hospitalization (p=.003), serum potassium level (p=.001), and serum magnesium level (p=.024) significantly contributed to the model. Odds of RH were 3 times higher in those who received NG feeding, 1.2 times higher for each year of increasing age, 1.5 times higher for each kilogram of weight gain, 9.2 times higher for each unit reduction in potassium, and 13.7 times higher for each unit reduction in magnesium. With regards to phosphorus nadir, 1-unit increase in magnesium resulted in 1.2 increase in phosphorus, and each unit of admit BMI increased phosphorus by .060. The results indicate that NG feeding, age, weight gain, electrolyte abnormalities, and admit BMI are potential indicators of development of RH in AYA hospitalized with AN. This study will inform clinicians of risk factors associated with RH, and may guide further investigation into the clinical management of AYA diagnosed with AN. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Connell School of Nursing. / Discipline: Nursing.

The diploma thesis is focused on the one hand on the ways of the coordination of the multidisciplinary teams and the interdisciplinary cooperation of the professionals helping people with eating disorders (EDs) and on the other hand on the challenges that these professionals are facing and what are their solutions. The findings of the empirical part are based on a qualitative research using mostly semi-structured interviews with 17 professionals. Most of the professionals from the nonprofit type of organizations and from the treatment facilities had one permanent coordinator and they used regular team meetings as a part of the coordination. On the other hand the professionals with their private practice cooperating with each other were choosing the coordinator case by case or had none at all and they shared the information mostly irregularly by phone or email. The most frequent challenges of this cooperation were its time, financial, energy and coordination consuming character, insufficient knowledge or experience of some other professionals regarding EDs or their unwillingness to cooperate, myths about EDs or a disharmony among the cooperating professionals. The recommendations for practice are: a careful selection of the colleagues according to their competence, similar views and willingness to...