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The impact of racial stereotypes on eating disorder recognition
Kathryn H Gordon1, Marisol Perez, Thomas E Joiner
1Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-1270, USA.
Objective:
Eating disorders are commonly believed to affect Caucasian women more so than other women. The authors examined whether participants recognize disturbed eating symptoms to a lesser degree in an African American or Hispanic female compared with a Caucasian female.
Method:
A sample of 160 undergraduate students of different ethnic backgrounds read a passage about an adolescent girl who displayed eating disorder symptoms. Participants received one of three passages; the passages differed only regarding the girl's race (African American, Caucasian, or Hispanic). Participants completed questionnaires used to reveal possible racial stereotypes about eating disorders.
Results:
The study found that the race of the adolescent girl had a significant impact on detection of disturbed eating patterns, such that participants recognized the eating disorder more when they read about a Caucasian girl than when they read about a minority girl (Hispanic or African American).
Discussion:
The results have implications for public awareness of eating disorders, as well as clinical implications for work with eating disorder patients from various ethnic backgrounds.