Gender, General Strain Theory, negative emotions, and disordered eating

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Criminology
• Sociology

Background:

• General Strain Theory (GST) traditionally links strain and negative emotions to criminal behavior.
• Research has under-explored GST's application to non-criminal, self-directed negative behaviors like disordered eating.
• Disordered eating is often viewed as a female-specific outcome, necessitating gender-inclusive research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To extend General Strain Theory (GST) to understand disordered eating behaviors.
• To examine the relationship between strain, negative emotions, and disordered eating across genders.
• To identify gender-specific predictors of disordered eating within the GST framework.

Main Methods:

• Surveyed 338 young adults (54% female, 95% white) on strain, emotions, and disordered eating.
• Applied statistical analyses to General Strain Theory (GST) variables.
• Examined gender differences in the strain-disordered eating relationship.

Main Results:

• Strain measures predicted depressive symptoms in both males and females.
• Inequitable strainful experiences were linked to disordered eating in females only.
• Depressive symptoms, not anger, increased disordered eating for both genders.
• Greek organization membership correlated with disordered eating in males.

Conclusions:

• General Strain Theory (GST) is applicable to understanding disordered eating, with gendered nuances.
• Depressive symptoms are a key mediator between strain and disordered eating.
• Future research should explore gender-specific pathways and contextual factors, such as Greek life, in disordered eating.