IB Docs (2) Team
Anorexia: Sociocultural explanations
Sociocultural etiologies of anorexia
The sociocultural approach looks at the role of environmental factors in the onset of anorexia. This is a more holistic approach to understanding the disorder. Sociocultural researchers look at the role of protective and risk factors - in what is called a vulnerability model. In addition, the role of social cognitive theory will be explored.
Before completing the module below, please read the section of the textbook called the sociocultural approach to anorexia. When reading this section, please make note of the following important concepts:
- Adverse childhood experiences [ACEs]
- Globalization
- Risk vs protective factors
- Social cognitive theory
- Vulnerability models
The role of environmental factors
Please watch the following video with Nadine Burke Harris. You may have already seen this video if you are also studying the health option. If so, watch it again as a refresher of the concept of Adverse Childhood Experiences [ACEs].
When you have finished, read through the study by Felitti et al (1998) that Burke Harris discusses in the video.
Thinking critically
Try to answer the following questions on your own without looking at the answers. The answers provided are a way to check your own thinking and learning.
1. What would be the difficulty of applying Burke Harris's plan to give an ACE's inventory to all children coming in for treatment?
2. Some have argued that Felitti's original 10 ACE's are culturally or class-biased. What are some examples of Adverse Childhood Experiences that may have been left off the list?
3. Another criticism of using such a list with patients is that it doesn't take into account protective factors. What is meant by this statement?
Linking ACEs to anorexia
Guillaume et al (2016) 102 female patients with anorexia nervosa as defined by the DSM-V were recruited in an outpatient eating disorders unit. All participants were asked to fill in the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. The study found that childhood abuse was associated with greater severity of the key symptoms of eating disorders, such as food restriction, weight, shape and food concerns, and daily functioning.
Kong and Bernstein (2009) carried out a similar study using a sample of 73 Korean women who had been previously diagnosed with eating disorders: anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder. They were asked to fill in the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. The researchers found that emotional abuse, physical neglect, and sexual abuse were significant predictors of eating disorders.
Thinking about causality
Why the nature vs nurture debate is over
When I was studying psychology, the big debate was always whether behaviour was because of one's "nature" (genetic or other physical causes) or one's "nurture" (environmental and learned behaviour). Today, psychologists no longer have this debate. It is now understood that biological and environmental factors work together to produce behaviour.
Much of mental illness is an example of "domino causality." In simple linear causality, one thing directly makes another thing happen and the effects end there. But it is very common for effects to become causes of new events.
What is domino causality?
- A sequential unfolding of effects over time
- An extended linear pattern that results in direct and indirect effects
- Typically has a clear beginning and a clear ending
- Can be branching where there is more than one effect of a cause (and these may go on to have multiple effects and so on.)
- Branching forms can be traced back to "stem" causes
- Allows researchers to predicted anticipated outcomes and find multiple potential places to intervene in order to prevent a negative outcome.
So, the question is - what is the link between Burke Harris and Guillaume et al (2016)? How is that someone who has experienced ACEs as a child will go on to develop anorexia as an adult? At this point, we are not really sure what the link is, but we can assume that it must have something to do with gene expression.
Social cognitive theory
One of the big questions about eating disorders is - does the media (film, social media) potentially lead to eating disorders? Read through the following presentation and then answer the questions below.
Critically thinking about research
Answer each of the following questions about the research in the presentation above. Try to answer the question in your notebook or in a separate document before checking your answers below.
1. Explain what is meant by the term vicarious reinforcement.
2. What was the research method used in Becker et al's study of girls in Fiji? What are the strengths and limitations of this method?
3. Why do researchers carry out meta-analyses?
4. What does Groesz et al's (2002) research tell us about the link between media and anorexia?
5. What does Tucci and Peter's (2008) research tell us about the link between media and anorexia?
6. What was the research method used in Tucci and Peter's research on teen magazine and disordered eating?
7. What does Dittmar et al's (2006) research tell us about the link between Barbie dolls and anorexia?
8. What was the research method used in Dittmar et al's (2006) research on the effect of Barbie dolls on body image?
9. What does Wilksch et al's (2019) research tell us about the link between social media and anorexia?
10. What is the limitation of using a correlational study to determine the link between social media usage and disordered eating?
Exam tip
When preparing for the exam, remember that you only need two pieces of research to answer any question on Paper 2. You did not need to prepare both Adverse Childhood Experiences and Social Cognitive Theory. You may prepare one or the other. And in spite of all the interesting studies you see above for the SCT, remember that you only need two. Choose the two that you feel that you understand the best and that you can evaluate with the widest range of comments.
Checking for understanding
You have been asked to write an essay that would evaluate the sociocultural approach to the explanation of one disorder. For each of the following evaluation points, explain what it means with regard to theory or research in the sociocultural approach.
The sociocultural approach takes a more holistic approach to explaining anorexia nervosa than other approaches.
Much of the research done in the sociocultural approach has high ecological validity, but this can also be problematic.
In the sociocultural approach, there are some problems with construct validity.
Cross-cultural research is problematic in explaining the origins of anorexia nervosa.
Sociocultural theories tend to be descriptive rather than explanatory in nature.
Continue to Research methods and ethics
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