Psychological Risk Factors for the Development of Restrictive and Bulimic Eating Behaviors: A Polish and Vietnamese Comparison

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to identify psychological factors which are culture specific or common predictors for restrictive and bulimic behaviors towards eating for young women raised in different cultures. The study included 661 young women from Poland (n = 233) and Vietnam (n = 428). Subjects filled-in the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI-3) and the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire-Appearance Scales (MBSRQ-AS), and body measurements were collected to calculate anthropometric indices. Women form Vietnam were less satisfied with their appearance than were their Polish peers, but Vietnamese showed a lower level of preoccupation with being overweight and fear of obesity. Intercultural differences indicate that Vietnamese women show greater intensities for psychological variables, connected with restrictive and bulimic eating behaviors, verified in the research model: low self-esteem, personal alienation, interpersonal insecurity, interpersonal alienation, emotional dysregulation, interoceptive deficits, perfectionism and asceticism, and anxiety.

Too masculine for healthcare, too feminine for intense sports: correlation between gender conformity and pro-health behaviours

“…The author also suggests that eating meat is directly associated with masculinity. In the context of eating disorders, researchers lean towards stating that they occur more frequently among women [38][39][40][41][42]. A link between eating disorders and gender norms for women can be seen in the desire for a slim body [43][44][45].…”

The Role of Religion and Religiosity in Health-Promoting Care for the Body During the Lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic in Egypt, Poland and Romania

“…a means of escape from the problem, and so eating may take abnormal forms such as overeating or, in contrast, control of eating, such that paying more attention to proper nutrition may give the appearance that one is able to maintain control over the overall threat (Levinson & Rodebaugh, 2012 ). Improper eating behaviour can often lead to eating disorders, and this relationship is an example of the fact that caring for or attention to the body can result in mental health problems (Izydorczyk, 2022 ; Izydorczyk et al, 2021 ). In our research, the analysis of eating habits (mean values for the overall score on the EAT 26 scale) confirms that among all three groups of respondents (Orthodox Christians, Catholics and Sunni Muslims), no intensification of eating behaviour in a manner typical of the occurrence of eating disorders can be found.…”

The Mediating Role of Eating Attitudes in Sociocultural Attitudes toward the Body in Predicting Obligatory Exercise among Young People: A Polish and Chinese Comparison

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