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College students' perceptions of individuals with anorexia nervosa: irritation and admiration
Danielle M Geerling1, Stephen M Saunders
1Department of Psychology, Marquette University , Milwaukee, WI , USA.
Background:
Stigmatizing attitudes against anorexia nervosa (AN) may act as barriers to treatment.
Aims:
Evaluated college students' perceptions of AN as compared to major depressive disorder (MDD).
Method:
One-hundred two female undergraduates read vignettes describing targets with mild or severe MDD or AN, then rated biological, vanity, and self-responsibility attributions; feelings of admiration, sympathy, and anger; and behavioral dispositions toward coercion into treatment, imitation, and social distance.
Results:
AN was perceived more negatively than MDD in terms of vanity attributions, self-responsibility attributions, and feelings of anger, but more positively in terms of admiration and imitation.
Conclusions:
This research demonstrates stigma-related mixed messages received by individuals with AN, which might be useful in improving eating disorders mental health literacy.
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