1Independent Practice, CA, USA.
Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2013 Dec;59(8):729-38. doi: 10.1177/0020764012453816. Epub 2012 Jul 31.
There is currently a gap in our knowledge of how eating disorder symptomatology is impacted by spirituality and religiosity. To date, studies examining the role of ethnicity in women's self-reported levels of eating disorder symptomatology have neglected the roles of spirituality and religiosity.
This study addresses this gap in the literature by investigating ethnicity, spirituality, religiosity, body shame, body mass index (BMI) and age in relation to eating disorder symptomatology in women.
A representative non-clinical sample of ethnically diverse Canadian women (N = 591) was surveyed.
Younger women, particularly those with higher body shame, BMI and lower spirituality, reported more eating disorder symptomatology. Hispanic and Asian women had higher body shame and lower BMI compared to white women. Spirituality was more strongly related to eating disorder symptomatology than religiosity.
This is the first study identifying interactive relationships between ethnicity, spirituality, body shame, BMI and age on eating disorder symptomatology in women. Particularly significant is that higher spirituality was related to a lower level of eating disorder symptomatology. These findings have important implications for treatment and women's physical and psychological health and wellness.
目前，我们对于饮食障碍症状如何受到精神信仰影响的了解还存在空白。迄今为止，研究女性饮食障碍症状的种族差异时，都忽视了精神信仰的作用。
本研究通过调查女性的种族、精神信仰、宗教信仰、身体羞耻感、体重指数（BMI）和年龄与饮食障碍症状之间的关系，填补了这一文献空白。
对具有代表性的、非临床的加拿大不同种族女性（N=591）进行了调查。
年轻女性，特别是那些身体羞耻感更高、BMI 更低、精神信仰更低的女性，报告了更多的饮食障碍症状。与白人女性相比，西班牙裔和亚裔女性的身体羞耻感更高，BMI 更低。精神信仰与饮食障碍症状的关系比宗教信仰更密切。
这是第一项确定种族、精神信仰、身体羞耻感、BMI 和年龄对女性饮食障碍症状的相互关系的研究。特别重要的是，更高的精神信仰与更低的饮食障碍症状有关。这些发现对治疗以及女性的身心健康和整体健康具有重要意义。
