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The social issue I chose to conduct my original research on is eating disorders. After
much thought about the direction I would go in, I finally decided to focus on Anorexia Nervosa
and Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified, and the factors that contribute to their
development. This led to my research question, “What is the main factor that contributes to the
development of Anorexia Nervosa/EDNOS?” After reading several articles from scholarly
sources, I finally decided on a hypothesis: If a child grows up in an environment where a thin
body is considered ideal, then that child is more likely to develop Anorexia Nervosa/EDNOS
than if they are not brought up in that environment. The main difference between Anorexia
Nervosa and EDNOS is the physical condition of their body; anorexics are underweight, have
lost their menstrual cycle, and have low blood pressure, while those with EDNOS do not fit these
requirements. Because EDNOS is so similar to Anorexia Nervosa when it comes to the mental
aspect of the disorder, both were focused on and the subjects were grouped together.
The first academic source is a research article from the Journal of Eating Disorders. The
research question for this article, called “Personality Assessment Inventory profiles of university
students with eating disorders”, involved determining how subjects from three different groups
of eating disorders differed using the Personality Assessment Inventory, and how it could be
used to classify the different subgroups of eating disorders. MacGregor had the subjects from
each subtype take the PAI test, which consists of 11 non-overlapping scales. The participants’
age ranged from 17-52 years old, and included 293 female university students. 49 of the
participants had anorexia nervosa, 44 had bulimia nervosa, 55 had eating disorder not otherwise
specified (EDNOS), and it included 145 people with major depressive disorder. This was the
sample, and the population came from a large southeaster American university, which remains
anonymous. The conclusion that MacGregor came to is that the PAI can be used to better
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understand psychological factors associated with eating disorders and also assist with
assessment.
The second academic source is also a research article, this time from Frontiers in
Psychiatry. The article,“Emotional dysregulation and anxiety control in the psychopathological
mechanism underlying drive for thinness”, was written by three Italian women in 2014. The
women, Fiore, Ruggiero, and Sassaroli, had a research question that looked at the roles of
emotional dysregulation and anxiety control to see whether they were independent or third
variables in the desire and drive to becoming thin. This research included sets of self-report
questionnaires that the participants had to fill out. The population was individuals suffering from
anorexia nervosa, and the sample was 154 individuals suffering from the mental illness. The
researchers came to the conclusion that the relationship between emotional dysregulation and the
desire to be thin was caused by anxiety control, which supported their hypothesis.
The third source was a book called “Eating Disorders: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia, Binge
Eating and others” written by Jim Kirkpatrick and Paul Caldwell. This book focused on the
causes of different eating disorders, the diagnostic criteria, as well as different possible
treatments. Specifically, I chose to use the chapter on anorexia nervosa. Although there is no
direct hypothesis, the authors do provide their thoughts on the effect that control has on anorexia,
stating “the abnormal psychology that initiates the physical changes can best be understood as an
attempt by the anorexic to control his or her life” (Kirkpatrick & Caldwell, 17). Though this is
not the thesis of the entire article, it most definitely ties into the topic in which I will be
discussing in my research. The authors of this book both have Masters Degrees and treat people
with eating disorders.
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The two articles and book that I chose to help with my research are mainly related
because they all deal with eating disorders. The first article talks about personality assessments,
the second talks about the connection between anorexia and anxiety control, and the chapter
“Anorexia Nervosa” deals with understanding anorexia and the influence of control. These three
sources help to describe eating disorders and the different factors that come into play.
In order to obtain my information, I interviewed people that currently suffer from or have
recovered from Anorexia Nervosa/EDNOS, as well as people that have never had an eating
disorder to contrast the results. I ended up with 44 subjects for the Anorexia/EDNOS group, and
35 subjects for the contrasting group. In order to gather these people, I followed two sampling
methods – snowball sampling and convenience sampling. I began with snowball sampling
because it is a sensitive topic and many people may not have wanted to talk about their mental
illness. By interviewing people with Anorexia/EDNOS, or who are in recovery, they could then
help me find others to participate, for they may belong to a support group or have friends that
also suffer from the illness. This technique worked for the first 15 people, but then people
stopped responding. I then turned to convenience sampling by posting my survey on the social
media website Tumblr.com, along with my email. Tumblr has a large eating disorder
community, so I knew that many people would see the survey. I also used convenience sampling
when interviewing the subjects in the group of people without an eating disorder, for this group
was solely used to contrast the results of those in the other group. I, once again, posted my
survey online to gather my data.
If I were to redo my research, I would probably skip the snowball sampling altogether,
for people with eating disorders were very comfortable answering questions. This supposedly
sensitive subject did not make it difficult at all. It actually seems as though the topic worked in
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my favor, for people with Anorexia/EDNOS were eager to participate, and those without could
not be bothered.
I started my survey off by asking the subjects at what age they began to worry about their
weight. For those with Anorexia/EDNOS, 4.55% of subjects reported developing body image
issues before the age of 5, while nobody in the other group reported this. 29.55% of those in the
eating disorder group stated that their body image issues began between the ages of 5 and 10,
while only 5.7% of the other group did. The largest age range stated by both groups was 11-15
years old, with 65.9% of those in the eating disorder group and 40% of the contrasting group.
34.3% of those in the non eating disorder group developed body image issues after the age of 16,
and 20% of the non eating disorder group stated that they do not feel negative feelings towards
their body.
The next question I asked was whether or not someone in their family was on a diet while
they were growing up. 63.6% of people in the eating disorder group stated yes, while only 37%
of the non eating disorder group did.
The next major distinction between the two groups was with other mental disorders. I
asked whether or not they had been diagnosed with a mental disorder other than Anorexia/
EDNOS, and 70.45% of the subjects in the eating disorder group responded yes, while only 20%
of the comparison group did. The major disorders that are present in the eating disorder group
are Depression (26 people), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (19 people), and Borderline
Personality Disorder (5 people). Comorbidity did often take place.
The final major distinction between the two groups was the question about their overall
average grade is in school, or was at the time of their disorder. 20% of those in the eating
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disorder group received an overall average grade above 90%, while 2% of those in the non eating
disorder group scored the same. The Anorexia/EDNOS group had 39% of subjects score between
81-90% in school, while 31% of those in the contrasting group did. Finally, 25% of the eating
disorder group received an overall average grade of 71-80% in school, while 48.6% of those
without an eating disorder received the same grade range.
Question 10, which asked what extracurricular activities they participated in growing up,
had 43% of those in the eating disorder group state that they took dance classes, 45% state that
they participated in team sports, and 41% state that they did some sort of performing arts. Team
sports had 71% of the contrasting group state that they participated, while only 20% took dance
classes, and 14% did performing arts.
Other questions, such as whether or not they feel pressure to live up to their parents
standards, had both groups receive slightly more subjects answer yes than no. Family history in
both groups received dramatically more no’s than yes’, and more than 50% of the subjects in
both groups stated that they have never taken recreational drugs.
The connection between eating disorders and family members on diets suggests that
there is a strong possibility that the weight loss environment contributed to the development
of their disorder. This is further supported by the results of when their body image issues
began. Two people in the eating disorder group stated that they began to feel negatively about
their body before the age of 5 years old, and family has a huge influence over children of this
age. 13 people in the eating disorder group began to experience these negative thought about
their body between the aged of 5-10, which is a time where people begin to pay more attention
to their surroundings and ask questions.
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It is also quite possible that a separate mental illness is the main contributing factor
towards the development of eating disorders. This correlation works both ways; it is also
possible that the eating disorder caused the mental illness. Either way, there is undoubtedly a
connection between the two, for more than 50% more of those with an eating disorder have
some other mental illness than those without an eating disorder.
As for the overall average grades in school, this question helps understand the desire for
control. Those in the eating disorder, on average, received higher grades than those in the
contrasting group. This could mean one of two things, either that people with Anorexia/EDNOS
are more intelligent, or that they feel the need to control this aspect of their life. The latter was
discussed in “Anorexia Nervosa” from the book “Eating Disorders” by Jim Kirkpatrick and Paul
Caldwell on page 17.
Finally, the extracurricular activities results suggest that activities that idealize thin
bodies, or have a large audience watching, contribute to eating disorder development. 23% more
of subjects with an eating disorder took dance classes, which emphasize having a strong and thin
body. In particular, ballet was mentioned more than any other form of dance. This dance form is
known for causing dancers to turn to extreme measures such as throwing up or causing their feet
to bleed in order to become perfect. As for performing arts, this could be explained by the
spotlight. Performing arts such as acting and singing involve an audience watching you, which
can cause a lot of stress and self esteem issues, for they once again feel the need to be perfect.
All in all, it is quite difficult to state what the main factor that contributes to the
development of eating disorders is. A desire for control, pressures from extracurricular activities,
or growing up in an environment that idealizes thinness, all have large contributions. One cannot
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state that there is a main contributing factor, for not only does it differ from person to person, but
it is more likely many factors that contribute. However, given my hypothesis is “If a child grows
up in an environment where a thin body is considered ideal, then that child is more likely to
develop Anorexia Nervosa/EDNOS than if they are not brought up in that environment”, it was
supported through my research findings. The results from the extracurricular activities and
family dieting show that there is in fact a major difference between those with eating disorders
and those without as far as idealization of a thin body is concerned.
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Works Cited
Fiore, Francesca, Giovanni M. Ruggiero, and Sandra Sassaroli. "Emotional Dysregulation and
Anxiety Control in the Psychopathological Mechanism Underlying Drive for Thinness."
Frontiers in Psychiatry 5.00043 (2014). Frontiers. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
<http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2014.00043/full>.
Kirkpatrick, Jim, and Paul Caldwell. "One: Anorexia Nervosa." Eating Disorders: Anorexia
Nervosa, Bulimia, Binge Eating and Others. Toronto, Ontario: Key Porter Limited,
2001. 13-36. Print.
MacGregor, Michael Wm, and Paige Lamborn. "Personality Assessment Inventory Profiles of
University Students with Eating Disorders." Journal of Eating Disorders 2.20 (2014).
Journal of Eating Disorders. BioMed Central Ltd. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.jeatdisord.com/content/2/1/20>.
"Anorexia Nervosa - Symptoms." Mayo Clinic. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.
Balso, Michael, and Alan D. Lewis. First Steps: A Guide to Social Research. 5th ed. Toronto:
Nelson Thomson Learning, 2008. Print.
MLA formatting by BibMe.org.
