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Eating disorders were predominantly perceived to be a white, Western higher socioeconomic phenomenon. However, as Western cultural values have been embraced, eating disorders appear to have become prevalent across racial, ethnic and socio-economic groups. In the last decade there has been an increased interest in assessing eating disorders from a cross-cultural perspective. Many studies have been conducted in the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Relatively few empirical studies have been conducted in South Africa. The Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI) is an instrument that has been used in eating disorder research and is known to be reliable and valid. Although the EDI has been used in South Africa, its cross-cultural validity has not yet been determined. The purpose of this research is a pilot cross-cultural validation of the EDI to determine if this design would be appropriate for a large-scale validation project. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg,2004.

Research suggests that the eating disorders (anorexia nervosa and bulimia) represent a caricature of the sociocultural values placed on young women to achieve thinness and beauty ideals. Although eating disorders have long been thought to occur only in White, "Western" cultures, more recent research suggests that women from different cultural groups are presenting with unhealthy eating attitudes and behaviours. In South Africa's pluralistic cultural context, the effects ofcontinuous first-hand contact between cultures (acculturation) is an important area of research, especially in light ofthe hypothesised etiological role ofsociocultural factors in eating disorders. The present study aims to address the association between acculturation and disordered eating in a non-clinical sample of nursing students in Pietermaritzburg. Additionally, it aims to contribute to the development of a local acculturation instrument. The South African Acculturation Scale (SAAS) was developed based on the work of Berry (1976), Berry, Trimble and Olmedo (1986) and Berry (1997). The Individualism-Collectivism (INDCOL) scale (Hui, 1988) and the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI, Garner & Olmsted, 1984) were included in the questionnaire profile A pilot study was undertaken on 28 students in the health arena, in order to assess the psychometric properties of the assessment instruments. The results of the pilot study yielded adequate reliability co-efficients for the SAAS, although the INDCOL scale yielded unexpectedly inconsistent results. The formal study adopted a cross-sectional design on a population of 155 nursing students. The sample consisted of37 Blacks, 33 Whites, 11 Indians and 7 Coloureds between 19 and 28 years of age. Additionally, the sample included 49 Blacks, 3 Whites, 11 Indians and 4 Coloureds greater than, or equal to 29 years ofage. The research findings suggest that both Black and White respondents display a propensity towards disordered eating. Black respondents scored higher on measures of the psychological correlates of eating disorders, and Whites scored higher on the attitudinal and behavioural measures of disordered eating. Partial support was obtained for the hypothesis that assimilation and individualist values are correlated to eating disorder pathology. The findings suggest that acculturating young women from diverse cultural and racial backgrounds present with a degree of risk for the development of eating disorders. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc) - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2000.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the characteristics and interaction patterns in the families of adolescent eating—disordered patients. Four groups of female adolescents and their mothers (restrictive anorexic, bulimic type, psychiatric control, and nonpsychiatric control) were assessed on a number of self-report instruments: The Family Environment Scale, Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Work and Family Orientation Questionnaire, Sex Role Ideology Scale, Food Fitness and Looks Questionnaire, and Body Esteem Scale. Support was found for the hypothesis that the families of bulimic type and psychiatric control subjects are characterized as more dysfunctional than the families of restrictive anorexic and nonpsychiatric control subjects. In particular, restrictive anorexic and nonpsychiatric control mothers and daughters characterized their families as more cohesive than did bulimic type and psychiatric control mothers and daughters. No differences were found amongst the four groups on expressiveness, conflict, independence, organization, control, or marital adjustment. These family interaction data were found to vary with the adolescent’s level of depression, general psychiatric distress, and impulsivity, but only for daughters, not for mothers. Little support was found for the hypothesis that restrictive anorexic and bulimic type mothers and daughters are characterized as higher in achievement orientation, traditional sex role ideology, and weight and appearance orientation than psychiatric control mothers and daughters. There were no group differences with respect to individual or family achievement orientation; however, restrictive anorexic and nonpsychiatric control daughters did have higher school grades than psychiatric control daughters. No differences in sex role ideology were found amongst the groups. Restrictive anorexic and bulimic type daughters, but not mothers, ascribed greater importance to weight and had more negative attitudes toward their own weight than psychiatric and nonpsychiatric control daughters. No group differences were found for mothers or daughters with respect to attitude toward one’s own attractiveness or importance ascribed to appearance or fitness. Potential explanations for lack of congruence with the theoretical literature are advanced, and the possible specificity of family pseudocohesiveness and problem denial to eating disorders is discussed.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1988.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1988.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (January 13, 2010) Includes bibliographical references (p. 42-52)

The aim of the present study was to investigate the characteristics and interaction patterns in the families of adolescent eating—disordered patients. Four groups of female adolescents and their mothers (restrictive anorexic, bulimic type, psychiatric control, and nonpsychiatric control) were assessed on a number of self-report instruments: The Family Environment Scale, Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Work and Family Orientation Questionnaire, Sex Role Ideology Scale, Food Fitness and Looks Questionnaire, and Body Esteem Scale. Support was found for the hypothesis that the families of bulimic type and psychiatric control subjects are characterized as more dysfunctional than the families of restrictive anorexic and nonpsychiatric control subjects. In particular, restrictive anorexic and nonpsychiatric control mothers and daughters characterized their families as more cohesive than did bulimic type and psychiatric control mothers and daughters. No differences were found amongst the four groups on expressiveness, conflict, independence, organization, control, or marital adjustment. These family interaction data were found to vary with the adolescent’s level of depression, general psychiatric distress, and impulsivity, but only for daughters, not for mothers. Little support was found for the hypothesis that restrictive anorexic and bulimic type mothers and daughters are characterized as higher in achievement orientation, traditional sex role ideology, and weight and appearance orientation than psychiatric control mothers and daughters. There were no group differences with respect to individual or family achievement orientation; however, restrictive anorexic and nonpsychiatric control daughters did have higher school grades than psychiatric control daughters. No differences in sex role ideology were found amongst the groups. Restrictive anorexic and bulimic type daughters, but not mothers, ascribed greater importance to weight and had more negative attitudes toward their own weight than psychiatric and nonpsychiatric control daughters. No group differences were found for mothers or daughters with respect to attitude toward one’s own attractiveness or importance ascribed to appearance or fitness. Potential explanations for lack of congruence with the theoretical literature are advanced, and the possible specificity of family pseudocohesiveness and problem denial to eating disorders is discussed. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this study was to examine sociocultural and psychological correlates of bulimic symptomatology and drive for thinness in a sample of nonclinical female adolescents.

There is growing concern for eating pathology and body dissatisfaction in sports; particularly, in sports that emphasize a lean body type. In 325 female collegiate swimmers/divers and gymnasts, we examined psychosocial well-being (i.e., perception of weight pressures, levels of internalization, body satisfaction, dietary intent, negative affect) at the beginning and end of an athletic season and predict their eating disorder classification at the end of their athletic season. Logistic regressions revealed that a model containing all 14 predictors at the beginning and end of an athletic season significantly predicted eating disorder classification at the end of an athletic season. Specifically, in the longitudinal logistic regression, with every one unit of increase on a measure of the pressure felt within the sport environment regarding their weight and every unit increase on a measure of their intentions to diet, respectively, the female athletes were 49% and 89% more likely to be classified in the subclinical/clinical group at the end of their sport season. Surprisingly, with every one unit of increase on a measure of sociocultural pressure to exercise, female athletes were 43% less likely to be classified in the subclinical/clinical group six months later. The cross-sectional logistic regression found that only dietary restraint was significant. Specifically, with every one unit of increase on a measure of their intentions to diet the female athletes were 3.6 times more likely to be classified in the subclinical/clinical group at the end of their sport season. The implications of this study may emphasize the importance of body healthy sport systems to reduce sport specific pressures and dieting among female collegiate athletes. Limitations of this study include self-report measures and longitudinal timeframe was only across one athletic season.