Department of Clinical Psychology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Psychological Science, Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville, GA, USA.
Eat Behav. 2021 Jan;40:101451. doi: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2020.101451. Epub 2020 Nov 19.
Wearing of the hijab is associated with lower eating disorder (ED) attitudes and behaviors in women. However, this potential buffering role of the hijab has been questioned in countries, such as Iran, where its wearing is compulsory. Further, cross-cultural comparisons between disordered eating behaviors and correlates in Iranian and U.S. women are lacking. This study examines social-cognitive correlates of disordered eating in U.S. and Iranian women, comparing rates of ED- related social comparison and eating pathology. College women in the U.S. (n = 180) and Iran (n = 384) completed the Body, Eating, and Exercise Comparison Orientation Measure (BEECOM) and the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) in one session. One-way analyses of covariance and partial correlations were used to test the mean differences and inter-correlations between the variables among U.S. and Iranian women. U.S. women endorsed higher BEECOM scores and higher levels of overvaluation of weight and shape and dietary restraint compared to Iranians. Most BEECOM subscales and disordered eating symptoms were inter-correlated in each culture. The tendency to engage in exercise comparison was not significantly correlated with excessive exercise for U.S. women. Correlations between variables were stronger for U.S. women compared to Iranian women. While the ED-related social comparison levels were higher for U.S. women, the typical Western patterns of social comparison and disordered eating extend to Iranian women. Eating disorder-related social comparison is a recommended clinical target in both Eastern and Western cultures.
戴头巾与女性较低的饮食失调（ED）态度和行为有关。然而，在伊朗等国家，其佩戴是强制性的，头巾的这种潜在缓冲作用受到了质疑。此外，伊朗和美国女性之间在饮食失调行为和相关因素方面的跨文化比较还很缺乏。本研究考察了美国和伊朗女性饮食失调的社会认知相关因素，比较了与 ED 相关的社会比较和饮食病理的发生率。美国（n=180）和伊朗（n=384）的大学生女性在一次会议上完成了身体、饮食和运动比较取向量表（BEECOM）和饮食失调检查问卷（EDE-Q）。使用单因素协方差分析和偏相关来检验美国和伊朗女性之间变量的平均差异和相互关系。与伊朗女性相比，美国女性的 BEECOM 评分更高，对体重和体型的过度重视以及饮食限制水平更高。在每种文化中，大多数 BEECOM 子量表和饮食失调症状都相互关联。对于美国女性来说，进行锻炼比较的倾向与过度锻炼没有显著相关性。与伊朗女性相比，美国女性变量之间的相关性更强。虽然美国女性的 ED 相关社会比较水平较高，但西方典型的社会比较和饮食失调模式也延伸到了伊朗女性。与饮食失调相关的社会比较是东西方文化中推荐的临床目标。
