Disordered Eating in Asian American Women: Sociocultural and Culture-Specific Predictors

Abstract

Asian American women demonstrate higher rates of disordered eating than other women of color and comparable rates to European American women. Research suggests that leading sociocultural predictors, namely, pressures for thinness and thin-ideal internalization, are predictive of disordered eating in Asian American women; however, no known studies have tested the intersection of sociocultural and culture-specific variables (e.g., ethnic identity, biculturalism, and acculturative stress) to further elucidate disordered eating risk in this vulnerable, understudied group. Accordingly, this project used path analysis to simultaneously examine the role of sociocultural and culture-specific effects on disordered eating in Asian American college women (N = 430). Self-report measures assessing disordered eating, sociocultural (pressures for thinness, thin-ideal internalization), and culture-specific (ethnic identity, biculturalism, acculturative stress) variables revealed that a number of sociocultural and culture-specific factors are predictive of disordered eating. Consistent with prior research, heightened perceived pressures for thinness and thin-ideal internalization were predictive of disordered eating, and thin-ideal internalization partially mediated the relationship between pressures for thinness and disordered eating. Acculturative stress predicted disordered eating and fully accounted for the inverse relationship between biculturalism and disordered eating. Overall, findings highlighted the salience of sociocultural predictors for disordered eating in Asian American women and identified biculturalism and acculturative stress as culture-specific contributors that may uniquely impact vulnerability to disordered eating in Asian American women. Thus, the combined consideration of sociocultural and culture-specific factors may be important in disordered eating research and in the development of individualized treatment plans for Asian American women.

Investigating the Linkages between BMI, Body Image, and SATAQ among Young Asian Females

“…Women appeared to have intentions of altering themselves in accordance with current societal standards. Findings in this study support the argument that the internalization of societal pressures regarding appearance is a key feature of body dissatisfaction [ 2 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”

“…However, studies continue to show that media, in particular social media such as Instagram, negatively influences young women’s body image [ 4 , 5 ]. In particular, the ideal of thinness and the accompanying effects that it has on young females’ body image are especially prominent in Asian contexts, where the ideal of thinness is emphasized quite heavily [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. In this study, we sought to examine the body image and sociocultural attitudes among a sample of women in an Asian country.…”

“…In this study, we sought to examine the body image and sociocultural attitudes among a sample of women in an Asian country. We also attempted to determine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and body image, since BMI is often used as an indicator of healthy body weight [ 10 ], as well as the relationship between sociocultural attitudes and body image, as studies have revealed a relationship between these two factors [ 9 , 11 , 12 ].…”

“…Sociocultural attitudes tend to significantly influence body image among individuals [ 6 ]. Furthermore, research has suggested that young women tend to internalize the ideal of thinness due to social pressures, with greater idealization leading to a more negative self-image [ 2 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. The Sociocultural Attitudes Toward Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ) was developed to evaluate women’s recognition and acceptance of social standards of appearance [ 13 ].…”

“…The literature suggests a significantly negative relationship between BMI and body image [ 2 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Furthermore, it is also expected that individuals who internalize the sociocultural idea of thinness would be likelier to have a negative self-image, as has been shown in the literature [ 10 , 16 ], and that heavier individuals were also more likely to internalize sociocultural attitudes [ 7 , 9 ].…”