“It’s just not comfortable to exist in a body”: Transgender/gender nonbinary individuals’ experiences of body and eating distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

The collective trauma of COVID-19 has had a negative impact on people’s experiences of their bodies and eating, as demonstrated by studies showing increased disordered eating and body dissatisfaction during this time. The pandemic has also been shown to have had a unique and disproportionate impact on transgender and gender nonbinary (TGNB) individuals (e.g., lost gender affirming care access, elevated levels of job loss). Given that TGNB individuals already face increased risk of body distress and disordered eating compared to cisgender individuals in a nonpandemic context and have been disproportionately impacted by contextual changes with COVID-19, it is likely that the pandemic has had a distinct impact on TGNB individuals’ experiences of body and eating distress. The present study aims to understand these impacts through an inductive, reflexive thematic qualitative approach. Participants were 13 TGNB individuals (10/13 gender nonbinary/gender queer; 8/13 White). They completed semistructured audio interviews about their broad experiences of body and eating during COVID-19, as well as how they understood changes across domains of family, community, access to resources, and intersectional identities interacting with these experiences. Themes included (a) Losing Affirming Spaces and Security, (b) Gaining Affirming and Supportive Spaces Online, (c) Reflecting on Embodied Gender and Identities, (d) Realizing New Connections and Insights, and (e) Considering the Self in Social Context. Notably, each of these themes interacted with participants’ self-reported experiences of body and eating distress and, in some cases, healing. Our results illuminate risk and resilience factors and areas requiring innovation during and after COVID-19.

The impacts of COVID-19 on eating disorders and disordered eating: A mixed studies systematic review and implications

“…It is thought that psychosocial stressors related to a disruption in daily routine, social distancing restrictions, stay at home orders, and limited access to specific foods creating food insecurity can be extremely distressing to individuals with an existing eating disorder (Gordon and Katzman, 2020 ; Phillipou et al, 2020 ). These stressors can also be extended to those in the general population by increasing risk and vulnerability to disordered eating behaviors such as binge eating and food restriction (Phillipou et al, 2020 ; Brownstone et al, 2021 ).…”

“Are people thinking I'm a vector…because I’m fat?”: Cisgender experiences of body, eating, and identity during COVID-19

“…The spread of COVID-19 and subsequent efforts to mitigate the crisis have disrupted everyday life, reverberating potently within the intimate domains of body and eating experience. Growing evidence shows that COVID-19 has been associated with worsening of disordered eating and body image difficulties, including increased drive for physical activity and decreased access to care (e.g., Castellini et al, 2020 ; Di Renzo et al, 2020 ; Flaudias et al, 2020 ; Brownstone et al, 2021 ; Monteleone et al, 2021 ; Phillipou et al, 2020 ; Schlegl et al, 2020a , Schlegl et al, 2020b ; Simone et al, 2021 ; Swami, Horne, & Furnham, 2020 ). Moreover, Richardson, Patton, Phillips, & Paslakis (2020) observed a significantly higher number of contacts to the National Eating Disorder Information Center during versus before the pandemic, which further suggests worsening of disordered eating and overall greater need for help among the general population.…”

“…Indeed, none of the abovementioned studies have situated their findings in the positionalities of their participants despite experiences of the pandemic being far from uniform across identities, communities, and social contexts. Some exceptions include studies situating COVID-19 related body and eating findings in socioeconomic status through examining food insecurity and financial stress ( Christensen et al, 2021 , Hazzard et al, 2021 , Simone et al, 2021 ) and transgender/gender nonbinary identity experience ( Brownstone et al, 2021 ). Individuals’ identities and, particularly, inhabitation of marginalized identities have profoundly shaped both perception of the pandemic and material realities of living through it.…”

“… 2 Brownstone et al (2021) presents ways in which a sample of trans/gender nonbinary (TGNB) individuals have experienced the impact of COVID-19 on their bodies and eating, as we noted distinct facets of TGNB individuals’ experiences in these domains and did a separate thematic analysis accordingly. …”

“I feel more protective over my body:” A brief report on pregnant women’s embodied experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Combined with fear mongering about pandemic weight gain (i.e., “the quarantine fifteen;” Lucibello et al, 2021 ), reduced access to groceries and restaurants, and closures of outlets for exercise or joyful movement, conditions were ripe for body-related concerns (see Cooper et al, 2020 ). Indeed, during the COVID-19 pandemic, both women and men have reported an increase in body dissatisfaction and disordered eating (see Brownstone et al, 2021 ; Robertson et al, 2021 ).…”