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Acculturation and disordered eating patterns among Mexican American women
1Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA. rchamorr@caregroup.harvard.edu
Objective:
This quantitative study examined the relationship between acculturation and disordered eating patterns among different generations of Mexican American women.
Method:
Participants included 139 Mexican American women (mean age = 29.1) drawn from local undergraduate courses and community agencies. The posttest-only design included a demographic measure, Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans (ARSMA), and the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26).
Results:
Of the five generations studied, second-generation women endorsed the most disordered eating patterns and the highest degrees of concurrent acculturation. Moreover, there was a significant, positive correlation between acculturation and Factor III of the EAT which highlights control of eating and perceived pressure from others to gain weight. Participants scoring beyond the EAT cut-off score endorsed bulimic symptoms.
Discussion:
Differing intergenerational ideals regarding weight may create special strains for second-generation Mexican American women. Criteria for disordered eating in a population previously not considered at risk should be further assessed and clinicians should be careful not to underdiagnose among this group.