Psych of WomenFinal Exam Study GuideFilm: Dreamworlds- Reading: Leerum & DworkinBody Image and Eating Disorders- Facts and stats about anorexia o Anorexia is the most lethal mental disordero Eating disorders receive the least amount of funding out of all major mental disorderso 90% of all reported cases of eating disorders are female Increasing among men, especially in fitness/athletic cultureo Up to 10 million women and 1 million men in US are fighting anorexia or bulimiao Under-diagnosed in people of color due to stereotypes (many people think their problem is due to other factorsmisdiagnosis)o # of people with eating disorders is increasingo Access to treatment is not increasingo Poor health insurance coverageo Major stigma against ED no longer exists but sufferer’s shame and denial make it hard to get help- Types and descriptions of eating disorders o Anorexia Refusal to maintain a healthy body weight Obsessive fear of gaining weight or being fat Self starvation and excessive weight loss Weight is consistently less than 85% of normal body weight for their size Symptoms: - Amenorrhea (absence of menstrual cycle)- Dehydration, lack of electrolytes- High mortality rate: 18-20% of anorexics will die after 20 yearso Bulimia Frequent episodes of overeating (binge eating) followed by purging or compensatory behaviors such as- Self-induced vomiting- Over exercising- Abuse of laxatives- Fasting Typically of a normal body weight Symptoms:- Tooth decay- Electrolyte imbalance- Calluses, bruises on fingers from induced vomitingo Binge eating disorder Periods of uncontrolled and continuous eating beyond the point of being controllably full No purging involved Feelings of guilt, shame following bingePsych of WomenFinal Exam Study Guide Sufferers are often overweight Use food as comfort, stress reliefo Body Dysmorphic disorder Somatoform disorder characterized by excessive concern about a perceived body defect Excessive and debilitating fear of judgment by others, can interfere with cognitive functioning (takes focus off of what is important) Leads to ritualistic behaviors (constant looking in mirror) Shared similar features with ED and OCD Effects both men and women equally Often comorbid with other anxiety disorders- Culture bound syndromes o The way a disorder is expressed is different depending on your culture;some disorders only appear in certain cultureso Syndrome is an exaggeration of normal attitudes and behavior in a cultureo Women’s self-esteem is correlated with body esteem (not men’s though)- Globalization of eating disorders o As western culture (media) spreads, eating disorders spread to other parts of the world- Binge/purge cycle o Dieting (caloric restriction) fuels bulimiao Cycle: dietbingeguiltpurgereliefdiet- Risk factors and protective factors o Risk Factors: #1= Being born female in a western country body dissatisfaction Puberty, normal girls’ body fat increases 125% Leads to onset of dieting and restricting behaviors Personality type-low self-esteem Parental influence Previous sexual abuse (bulimia) Family history of ED or substance abuse problemso Protective Factors : Misconception that being part of black culture serves as protection against thin ideal in the media- Black women feel same pressures as white women Community support Diverse male preferences Different standards of beauty according to different races, especially for women of color- Media and the culture of thinness o Culture bound syndromes is a result of values help by a certain culturePsych of WomenFinal Exam Study Guideo Estimated 80% of women in the US do not feel good about their bodieso Media dictates what we believe is beautiful-real women and girls comparing themselves to unrealistic idealso Women’s self-esteem directly correlates with body esteem (men’s not correlated)- The case of Fiji o Body ideal in Fiji traditionally larger, curvier body typeo When western TV shows were first broadcasted in Fiji, ED and weight management emergedo Media exposure of friends greatest predictor of disordered eating- Men and eating disorders o Low weight oriented sports (jockeys, wrestlers, runners)o Higher prevalence in homosexual men due to importance of success and physical appearanceo Approximately 1 million men in the US have an eating disorder- Weight based discrimination o Also known as weight stigma or weightismo Stereotype based on one’s weight (vey large or very thin)o Weight stigma ignored the idea that thin does not always equal healthyo Sexism- Dieting o Obsession with thin ideals leads to dangerous dieting methodso Diet industry makes $60 billion per year off of the over-concern with extreme weight losso Weight gain is almost immediate after dieting stops, maybe more due to reduced metabolismo “Cheating” on a diet leads to feelings of guilt and worthlessness- Neumark-sztainer et al (2006) o 2,516 diverse adolescentso 5 year studyo Results: adolescent who were dieting and using other unhealthy weightcontrol behaviors at time 1 were 3x more likely to be overweight 5 years later than those not using any weight control behaviors Also more likely to develop binge eating and purging behaviors at time 2 than those not using any weight control behavior- Loss of controlo ED often stem from the sufferer’s feelings of no control over some aspect of their lifeo Focus on controlling weight or eating habits to gain some control over their lifeo When treating ED, must focus on resolving issues of controlPsych of WomenFinal Exam Study Guide- How to help a friendo Learn about EDo Know the difference between weight, nutrition, exerciseo Be honest and talk openlyo Be caring but firmo Complimento Be a good role modelo Tell someone- Poran (2006)o Theories of protection- Piran & Cormier (2005)Domestic Violence- Statistics o One in four women has experienced domestic violence in her lifetime o 85% of victims in intimate partner violence are women; 15% are men o On average, more than three women and one man are murdered by their intimate partners in the US everydayo LGBT domestic violence is vastly underreported, unacknowledged, and often reported as something other than domestic violenceo 2 in 5 Gay and Bisexual men experience domestic violenceo 50 % of the lesbian population has or will experience domestic violence in their lifetime o While
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