The Role of Overvaluation of Shape and Weight in Latinas with Binge Eating Disorder

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Palmer, B. (2016). The Role of Overvaluation of Shape and Weight in Latinas with Binge Eating Disorder. Unc Charlotte Electronic Theses And Dissertations.
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Abstract

Binge eating disorder (BED) is characterized by episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food while experiencing a sense of loss of control. Binge eating behavior occurs in all ethnic/racial groups, yet the majority of research has focused on White women. This study sought to understand the role of overvaluation of shape and weight (OV S/W) in a community sample of Latinas with binge eating symptomatology. OV S/W refers to the excessive importance of shape and weight on self-evaluation and is a diagnostic criterion for other eating disorders, but not BED. In White women and ethnically diverse patient samples, OV S/W is related to poorer: BED progress, treatment outcomes, and psychological functioning. Community samples of Latinas are absent in these studies. It was hypothesized that Latinas who overvalued their shape and weight would exhibit more BED symptomatology and have poorer psychological functioning than those who did not overvalue. Participants included 151 Latinas with clinically significant levels of binge eating. Each participant completed the Eating Disorder Examination (Fairburn & Cooper, 1993) to assess OV S/W and BED symptomatology as well as self-report measures to assess levels of psychological functioning. In the overall sample, OV S/W significantly predicted the more frequent binge episodes and related distress. In a subset of 54 participants with BED, those who overvalued had significantly more distress due to binge eating (p < .05), but no differences were found in binge eating frequency or levels of self-esteem, depression, or psychological distress.

Details
Author

Palmer, Brooke

Title

The Role of Overvaluation of Shape and Weight in Latinas with Binge Eating Disorder

Physical Description

1 online resource (46 pages) : PDF

Date

2016

Degree Granting Institution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

Binge eating disorder (BED) is characterized by episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food while experiencing a sense of loss of control. Binge eating behavior occurs in all ethnic/racial groups, yet the majority of research has focused on White women. This study sought to understand the role of overvaluation of shape and weight (OV S/W) in a community sample of Latinas with binge eating symptomatology. OV S/W refers to the excessive importance of shape and weight on self-evaluation and is a diagnostic criterion for other eating disorders, but not BED. In White women and ethnically diverse patient samples, OV S/W is related to poorer: BED progress, treatment outcomes, and psychological functioning. Community samples of Latinas are absent in these studies. It was hypothesized that Latinas who overvalued their shape and weight would exhibit more BED symptomatology and have poorer psychological functioning than those who did not overvalue. Participants included 151 Latinas with clinically significant levels of binge eating. Each participant completed the Eating Disorder Examination (Fairburn & Cooper, 1993) to assess OV S/W and BED symptomatology as well as self-report measures to assess levels of psychological functioning. In the overall sample, OV S/W significantly predicted the more frequent binge episodes and related distress. In a subset of 54 participants with BED, those who overvalued had significantly more distress due to binge eating (p < .05), but no differences were found in binge eating frequency or levels of self-esteem, depression, or psychological distress.

Genre

masters theses

Subjects--Topics

Psychology

Degree

M.A.

Keywords

Binge Eating Disorder
Eating Disorders
Latinas
Overvaluation of Shape and Weight

Subject Area

Psychology

Advisor(s)

Cachelin, Fary
Bennett, Jeanette

Committee Members

Gil-Rivas, Virginia
Coffman, Maren

Degree Note

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2016.

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Rights Holder Information

Copyright is held by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Identifier

Palmer_uncc_0694N_11138

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:1649