Introduction This research plan is about the causes of eating disorders among teenagers. Environmental and personal factors play important roles in determining eating patterns and these need to be examined in order to understand how they are related or not to eating disorders. In so doing, it will also be possible to determine the significance of this research and apply it to the modern-day context. Literature review Introduction Recent studies have shown that eating disorders, termed EDs, are gradually taking on a great significance in the modern world. It would perhaps be best to determine the causes of EDs in general and then find out the type of ED they lead to consequently. Several reasons have been forward as causes of EDs, and these can be broadly classified into biological, social, environmental and psychological. On the biological level, there is perhaps heredity and as far as the environmental issues are concerned, family inadequacy and peer pressure to conform to a certain image. This may in turn be related to the social aspect, mainly with popular figures who are viewed as the ‘role models’ by adolescents, leading to dissatisfaction with the physical appearance. Environmental issues would include aspects such as depression due to family problems, and pressure from peers as far as appearance is concerned. What are eating disorders? Before considering eating disorders, it is perhaps necessary to understand what is meant by a relatively normal eating pattern in adolescents and using that as background, mark the links, or the discrepancies, which develop into what is known as eating disorders. In so doing it is essential to understand that there is a marked difference between individuals with unusual eating ... ... middle of paper ... ...mage intervention based on risk factors for body dissatisfaction: A controlled study with adolescent girls. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 43(2), 112-122. Shannon, L. R. (2004). Eating Disorders in Adolescent Males. Professional School Counseling, 8(1), 98. Thompson-Brenner, H., Boisseau, C. L. & Satir, D. A. (2010). Adolescent eating disorders: Treatment and response in a naturalistic study. Journal of Clinical Psychology,66(3), 277-301. Treasure, J., Claudino, A., & Zucker, N. (2010). Eating disorders. The Lancet, 375(9714), 583. Victor, F., & Ida, F. D. (2003). Psychosexual development and eating disorders. Adolescent Medicine, 14(1), 61. Websites http://www.eatingdisorders.org.au/eating-disorders/what-is-an-eating-disorder.html http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Eating_Disorders http://www.psychology.org.au/community/eating_disorders/
O’Dea, Jennifer A. "Evidence for a Self-Esteem Approach in the Prevention of Body Image and Eating Problems among Children and Adolescents." Eating Disorders 12.3 (2004): 225-39. Web. Apr. 2014.
When it comes to what causes these disordered habits can be from many different factors like Social-cultural pressure, early childhood development and environment. Social-Cultural pressure is a contributing factor to eating disorders between male and females. Media is a huge contributor to the influences of eating disorders especially television and magazines. As a culture people live in a world consumed through TV and magazines and for many years there have been links to male’s muscular body ideal and female beauty ideal. We spend a lot of our t...
The National Institute of Mental Health: Eating Disorders: Facts About Eating Disorders and the Search for Solutions. Pub No. 01-4901. Accessed Feb. 2002.
Linda Smolak, Michael P. Levine, R.S.-M. ed., 1996. The Developmental Psychopathology of Eating Disorders: Implications for Research, Prevention, and Treatment, New Jersey: Psychology Press. Available at: http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=6g1j1u6Mex8C&pgis=1 [Accessed April 15, 2014].
Eating disorders have become one of the most problematic issues in the world today. It is very common to hear that women are considered as the type of group who has the higher rate of eating disorders. Although that statement is true, many men also suffered from eating disorder as well. The development of eating disorders usually begins in the period of adolescents and continue until the period of adulthood. However, this does not limit to the fact that it may happen in an earlier period and continue until the latter period.
This article talks about the causes of eating disorders. It states how it may be biological, self esteem, experiences that may lead to eating disorders, family influences. The article starts off by talking about how for a long time it’s been a common debate to which one of these characteristics has contributed the most as the leading cause to eating disorders. Then it goes into detail describing if they are to blame for eating disorders, or whether or not they actually is a correlation between the cause and disorder. This article is more research because it tries to find the relationship between the cause and effect, and does
McKnight. (2003). Risk factors for the onset of eating disorders in adolescent girls: Results of
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an disorder that has been most commonly diagnosed in adolescence with the highest at-risk group being women between ages 15 and 22 years old (Hodes, et al., 2000). In the United States, the occurrence of anorexia nervosa is estimated between 0.5% and 2% of the general population, and 0.8 million of the juvenile population (Fisherman, 2006). AN is an illness that has been around for quite some time but has recently become progressively more relevant in society today. This increase could be due to social factors such as the pressure to fit into society’s ideal body image, environmental, psychological, or other social factors may be contributing to the more rapidly development of AN. The exact causes of this disorder are unknown but anorexia has become the third most common chronic illness among adolescents and currently the incidents of AN are increasing in western countries (ANAD, 2014).
Due to these unrealistic images and ideals during this impressionable developmental stage, it is not surprising that adolescent girls make up 95% of individuals who suffer from eating disorders (ANAD, 2013). Clearly, media images and messages greatly contribute to the development of eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa (Edwards, 2008, Maclagan, 1998). Dokter describes an eating disorder as, “a reflection of a person’s degree of unhappiness with themselves” (1995, p.208). Mitchell adds that eating disorders are a “disturbance of delusional proportions in the body image and body concept” (Brooke,2008,p.15). Eating disorders include: anorexia nervosa, bulimia, binge eating, and other non-specified eating disorders. It is crucial for individuals with eating disorders to seek treatment due to the fact that it is life threatening. Of all mental disorders, eating disorders bear the highest mortality rates (ANAD,2013).
Muise, A. M., Stein, D. G., and Arbess, G. (2003). Eating disorders in adolescent boys: A review of the adolescent and young adult literature. Journal of adolescent Health, 33, 427-435.
The stage of adolescence contains major changes which can bring stress, confusion, and anxiety. Feelings of self-consciousness, low self esteem and comparison with peers start occurring during this time. Along with the physical changes there is also hormonal and brain changes that affect the adolescent physically, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically. During this time a person can feel tremendous pressure to find their place in the world among a great deal of confusion (“Eating Disorders and Adolescence,” 2013). Body image concerns and peer pressure are heightened during the period of adolescence, and are potential risk factors in the development of an eating disorder. While eating disorders can affects males and females of all ages, the average age of onset for Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and disordered eating takes place during adolescence. These disorders are often a coping mechanism for people to attempt to gain control of their situation when they feel helpless among other aspects of life (“Eating Disorders and Adolescence,” 2013). Eating disorders in children and teens can lead to a number of serious physical problems and even death (Kam, n.d.).
An ongoing issue that continues to plague schools today is a silent yet catastrophic illness known to many as Eating Disorders. What many people do not realize that not only are there several sub-strands of eating disorders, but these can include either over eating or not eating at all. The following two articles presented will proceed to offer a glimpse into the reality of both sides of this particular mental illness.
Shapiro, C. M. (2012). Eating disorders: Causes, diagnosis, and treatments [Ebrary version]. Retrieved from http://libproxy.utdallas.edu/login?url=http://site.ebrary.com/lib/utdallas/Doc?id=10683384&ppg=3
Adolescence is a stage of growth-related risk for eating disorders and eating disorder symptoms. This study is targeted to depict the frequency and route of five underlying eating disorder conducts (binge eating, purging, fasting, anorexia, and bulimia.) Each of these has very diverse abilities of insignificant health and very uncommon behaviors. It also intended to resolve the outcome of early adolescent (Age 12-20) depressive symptoms on the frequency and path of these distinctive eating disorder symptoms. “Eating disorders are complex illnesses that affect adolescents with increasing frequency. They rank as the third most common chronic illness in adolescent females, with an incidence of up to 5%, a rate that has increased dramatically over the past three decades.” (Pediatrics & Child Health)
Certain family cultural dynamics and poor nutritional education can be a major factor in aiding in or causing the progress of eating disorders. Research has shown that socio-cultural influences play a prominent role in the progression of many eating disorders. There are many people who internalize and strive for the western idea of beauty. Those internalized ideas stim from the many images that are communicated through magazines, television and advertisement which gives the one viewing it a false idea of what is the perfect body image which doesn’t exist.