Aesthetic Sports as High-Risk Contexts for Eating Disorders — Young Elite Dancers and Gymnasts Perspectives

Abstract

This is the first study developed in Portugal which investigates specific characteristics of dance and gymnastics environments that make them high-risk contexts for the development of eating disorders. Four focus groups were conducted with thirteen ballet students from a professional dance school and nine gymnasts from a gymnastics club (aged 12 to 17 years old), which were subjected to an inductive-deductive analysis procedure. Specific risk and protective factors were identified. Among their respective sources of influence, teachers and coaches are those who exert a stronger influence upon young athletes. We also explored some themes related to the influence of peers, parents, and environmental characteristics, which could have an important role on the development or prevention of disordered eating.Este es el primer estudio realizado en Portugal que tiene como objetivo investigar las características específicas que en el mundo de la danza y de la gimnasia pudieran ser factores de alto riesgo para el desarrollo de trastornos de la conducta alimentaria. Se realizaron cuatro grupos focales con trece estudiantes de danza profesional y nueve gimnastas (de 12 a 17 años). Las transcripciones de los grupos focales fueron sometidas a un procedimiento de análisis inductivo-deductivo. Se identificaron factores de riesgo y protectores específicos. Entre las respectivas fuentes de influencia, los profesores y entrenadores son los que ejercen mayor influencia sobre los jóvenes atletas. También se exploraron algunos temas relacionados con la influencia que tienen compañeros, padres y las características del entorno deportivo; los cuales pueden tener un importante rol tanto en el desarrollo como en la prevención de comportamientos alimentarios alterados. Palabras clave: trastornos de la conducta alimentaria, ballet, gimnasia, adolescentes, grupo focal.

Individual and relational risk factors for the development of eating disorders in adolescent aesthetic athletes and general adolescents

“…In all of these indicators, non-elite athletes and controls did not differ from one another, reinforcing the idea that the elite context of aesthetic sports creates a higher risk for adolescent females to develop eating Fig. 1 Final structural models of adolescents' disordered eating Table 2 Significant standardized indirect effects for the three final models disorders (e.g., [7,40]). However, unlike other authors [5,10], we cannot affirm that non-elite athletes present a lower risk than non-athletes despite their lower BID; they seem to present a similar risk.…”

The elite young athlete: strategies to ensure physical and emotional health

“…Blackmer et al168 found greater body image disturbances and higher levels of disturbed eating attitudes among both female and male college athletes who reported family climates with low perceived support and autonomy. In a previous study examining individual and relational risk factors (eg, self-esteem, social pressure for thinness), Francisco et al169 found direct parental influences (eg, weight teasing) on disordered eating among elite athletes, yet not on that of nonelite athletes or participants in the control group.…”

Body dissatisfaction and inappropriate eating behavior in young soccer players

“…Estima-se que categorias com idades mais avançadas (sub-20 e sub-17) tenham maior pressão para a maximização do rendimento técni-co-tático (Fortes, Matta, Paes, & Ferreira, 2012). Todavia, alguns atletas que não respondem adequadamente as demandas de seu esporte podem gerar sentimentos de descontentamento com o próprio corpo ou adoção de condutas alimentares prejudiciais à saúde (Fortes, Miranda, Amaral, & Ferreira, 2011;Francisco, Alarcão, & Narciso, 2012). Assim, considerando o aumento de pressão em cima dos futebolistas quando chegam às categorias sub-17 e sub-20, caso o atleta não corresponda a tais demandas técnico-táticas, poderá estar suscetível ao desenvolvimento de síndromes psicológicas (Fortes & Ferreira, 2014;Holm-Denoma, Scaringi, Gordon, Van Orden, & Joiner, 2009;Rosendahl, Bormann, Aschenbrenner, Aschenbrenner, & Strauss, 2009;Torstveit, Rosenvinge, & Sundgot-Borgen, 2008).…”