Sociocultural factors in the development of bulimia nervosa in a blind woman: A case report

Ostojic, Mladena Simeunovic; Hansen, Annemarie M.J.

doi:10.1002/eat.22058

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Various research on blindness and body dissatisfaction (e.g. Vandereycken, 1986;Bemporad et al, 1989;Kocourkova et al, 2011;Simeunovic Ostojic & Hansen, 2013) agree that body dissatisfaction is as much present in the population of young women with BVI as in the sighted female population. Research findings on the extent of satisfaction among young women with blindness with their body are however contradictory, and an important reason for the contradictory findings may be the lack of a standardised instrument with which perceived BI could be assessed in this particular population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Various former research findings had highlighted (e.g. Bemporad et al, 1989;Kaplan-Myrth, 2000;Kocourkova et al, 2011;Simeunovic Ostojic & Hansen, 2013;Pierce & Wardle, 1996;Yager et al, 1986) that feedback from parents and peers had a huge impact on the BI of women with blindness, and negative feedback could also lead to the construction of a distorted BI. Almost half of the participants in this research mentioned their uncertainty; not knowing to what extent they could trust feedback from important others and to what extent they should internalise it.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Perceptions of Body Image of Women with Blindness

Csernák

Gombás

2023

J. Heal. Rehab. Sci.

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Introduction: Body dissatisfaction is a general concern from teenage years onwards, and is especially characteristic in the population of young women all over the world. Objectives: This qualitative research sought to find answers to how young (aged 18-30) women with congenital or acquired blindness perceive their body image (BI), and how they get information about the appearance of others. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve blind women, aged 18-30 years. Verbatim interview transcripts were analysed independently by both first and second author, following guidelines of constructivist grounded theory (CGT). Coding was conducted in accordance with Strauss and Corbin’s (1998) procedure: transcripts were analysed with open, axial and finally with selective coding. Results: Findings confirm that feedback from important others, especially negative feedback, greatly influences young women with blindness in developing their BI, and that for many it is a concern to what extent they should internalise negative remarks which are related to their appearance. Conclusion: Since feedback and verbal information from others are essential for women with blindness in trying to understand what they and others look like, it is important for professionals, parents and for the women themselves to understand how vulnerable they may be to the criticism of others.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of Body Image of Women with Blindness

Csernák

Gombás

2023

J. Heal. Rehab. Sci.

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“…The issue of body satisfaction and its role in the adjustment of females with visual impairments merits further research. However, it has been established that decreased exposure to thin-ideal images does not protect this group from experiencing body dissatisfaction (Simeunovic Ostojic & Hansen, 2013). Females with visual impairments are also exposed to sociocultural pressure associated with ideal body types and need support in this regard.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-Esteem and Coping Styles in Polish Youths with and Without Visual Impairments

Tołczyk¹,

Pisula

2019

Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness

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Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare self-esteem and coping styles in youths with and without visual impairments (i.e., blindness or low vision) and to explore relationships between self-esteem and coping styles. Methods: The participants were students of secondary schools in Poland: 50 with visual impairments (23 females) and 50 typically sighted (21 females). Self-esteem and coping styles were measured with the following questionnaires: Multidimensional Self-Esteem Inventory, by O’Brien and Epstein, in Polish adaptation by Fecenec and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, by Endler and Parker, in Polish adaptation by Strelau, Jaworowska, Wrześniewski, and Szczepaniak. Results: There were no group differences in global self-esteem nor in the majority of self-esteem domains excepting moral self-approval, in which the group with visual impairments scored higher than did their sighted peers. Females with visual impairments reported lower self-esteem related to body appearance than control females and males with visual impairments. There were no group differences in coping styles. Moral self-approval and self-esteem in the domain of body functioning served as predictors of an avoidance coping style. Discussion: Self-esteem seems to be influenced by both gender and visual impairment. The absence of differences in global self-esteem between groups with and without visual disabilities may be a result of access to rehabilitation, professional support, and education in the group with visual impairment. Body appearance seems to be a particularly important aspect of self-esteem for females with visual impairments, who scored lower than the other groups. Implications for practitioners: The results show the need to provide specialized psychological support to females with visual impairments aimed at developing positive body image. Further studies on factors influencing self-esteem and coping styles among youths with visual impairments could enable practitioners to better understand how to support them in coping with everyday stress.

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“…Women living with VI were initially believed to be protected from developing an eating disorder due to reduced visual exposure to cultural standards of attractiveness in the media and a limited capacity to check their appearance in mirrors and visually represent the body (Baker et al, 1998). However, case studies of women living with VI diagnosed with an eating disorder have revealed that body image disturbances can both contribute to and perpetuate the disorder (Bemporad, Hoffman, & Herzog, 1989; Dunn & Coorey, 1982; Fernández-Aranda, Crespo, Jiménez-Murcia, Krug, & Vallejo-Ruiloba, 2006; McFarlane, 1989; Sharp, 1993; Simeunovic-Ostojic & Hansen, 2013; Thomas, Weigel, Lawton, Levendusky, & Becker, 2012; Touyz, O’Sullivan, Gertler, & Beumont, 1988; Vandereycken, 1986; Yager, Hatton, & Ma, 1986). Some studies did not indicate body image disturbance as a perpetuating factor, but rather highlighted the importance of other life stressors such as developmental problems (McFarlane, 1989), susceptibility to misperceiving body size and weight (Thomas et al, 2012; Vandereycken, 1986), maladaptive stress-coping mechanisms (Fernández-Aranda et al, 2006), and issues of autonomy, independence, mobility, and plans for the future (Touyz et al, 1988).…”

Section: Women Living With Vision Impairmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eating Attitudes of Women Living With a Vision Impairment

Page

Papps

2018

Psychology of Women Quarterly

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Internalization of cultural standards of attractiveness and subscription to gender-based discourses are significant predictors of disordered eating attitudes in fully sighted women. Yet, whether these variables predict the disordered eating attitudes of women who are legally blind is underexplored. In the current study, we examined how internalization of White European cultural standards of attractiveness and subscription to gender-based discourses (body surveillance and self-silencing) and body shame predicted the disordered eating attitudes of 80, primarily White, heterosexual, Australian women who are legally blind. Participants completed an online survey comprising existing validated measures of all variables. A path analysis was performed using the Hayes PROCESS approach. As predicted, in women living with vision impairment, body surveillance, self-silencing, and shame fully mediated the relation between internalization of cultural standards of attractiveness and disordered eating attitudes. Results showed that in much the same way as sighted women, women living with vision impairment are susceptible to internalizing harmful messages related to socio-cultural standards of attractiveness. We provide further support for including subscription to gender-based discourses in research on women’s body-image disturbances. Data will be available for other researchers from the author via email. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/page/pwq/suppl/index

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Sociocultural factors in the development of bulimia nervosa in a blind woman: A case report

Abstract: The present case underscores the need to also consider an etiological role of perceived sociocultural pressure and thin-ideal internalization in promoting body dissatisfaction and eating disorders in visually impaired women.

Cited by 8 publications

References 35 publications

Perceptions of Body Image of Women with Blindness

Perceptions of Body Image of Women with Blindness

Self-Esteem and Coping Styles in Polish Youths with and Without Visual Impairments

Eating Attitudes of Women Living With a Vision Impairment

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