College student attitudes and strategies for intervention with a hypothetical peer exhibiting disordered eating

The present study assesses stigma, attitudes, and strategies of college students in intervening with peers demonstrating disordered eating behaviors.

Four hundred and eighty nine college students (384 women) completed questionnaires that assessed eating disorder symptoms and bystander attitudes adapted for disordered eating. Participants read one of three vignettes of a 20-year-old hypothetical peer displaying symptoms of disordered eating aligned with bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, or binge-eating disorder; participants then described whether the vignette subject had a problem, what the problem was, and strategies for intervention. Relationships among eating disorder history, bystander attitudes, demographics, and intention to intervene in disordered eating were assessed using descriptive and regressive analyses; peer intervention strategies were organized and evaluated for frequencies of responses.

Demographics (female-identification) and familiarity with disordered eating were associated with likelihood to intervene in disordered eating. Most students recognized that the peer had a problem, but fewer than half believed the problem was disordered eating; nearly a quarter (22%) of the students stated that they would be uncomfortable talking to a peer about disordered eating. The majority of students cited vague or nonproblem-related intervention strategies (62%), followed by emotion-focused strategies (22.5%), or body and behavior-focused strategies (15%).

College students, particularly women and those with previous exposure to eating disorders, are likely to intervene peers disordered eating. However, students tend to use vague or body-focused intervention strategies. Bystander intervention training that provides rationale and rehearsal for supportive communication strategies is needed to address students' lack of intervention skills, particularly among men.