Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Int J Eat Disord. 2023 Sep;56(9):1743-1751. doi: 10.1002/eat.24005. Epub 2023 Jun 1.
Little is known about how female adolescent ballet dancers-a group at high-risk for the development of body dissatisfaction and eating disorders-construct body ideals, and how their social identities interact with body ideals to confer risk for disordered eating. Using a novel body figure behavioral task, this study investigated (1) whether degree of body dissatisfaction corresponded to severity of disordered eating thoughts and behaviors, and (2) how ballet identity corresponded with ideal body figure size among adolescent ballet dancers.
Participants were 188 female ballet dancers ages 13-18 years who completed self-report measures of study constructs and the behavioral task.
Linear regression models indicated that more severe body dissatisfaction was positively associated with increased disordered eating thoughts and behaviors (p < .19), except for muscle building (p = .32). We also found that identifying more strongly as a ballet dancer was correlated with having a smaller ideal body size (p = .017).
Findings from this study suggest desire to achieve smaller body sizes is correlated with more severe disordered eating endorsement and stronger ballet identity. Instructors and clinicians may consider assessing the extent to which individuals identify as a ballet dancer as a risk factor for disordered eating and encourage adolescent dancers to build and nurture other identities beyond ballet.
Eating disorders are debilitating conditions that can lead to malnutrition, social isolation, and even premature death. Though disordered eating thoughts and behaviors can affect anyone, adolescents in physically demanding and body image-driven activities including ballet dance are particularly vulnerable. Investigating how factors like body dissatisfaction and strength of identity are associated with disordered eating among high-risk groups is crucial for developing effective prevention and intervention methods that minimize harm.
对于处于发展身体不满和饮食失调高风险的女性青少年芭蕾舞演员群体，我们对于她们如何构建身体理想，以及她们的社会身份如何与身体理想相互作用从而导致饮食失调的风险知之甚少。本研究采用一种新颖的身体形象行为任务，调查了（1）身体不满的程度是否与饮食失调思维和行为的严重程度相对应，以及（2）芭蕾舞演员身份与青少年芭蕾舞演员理想体型大小的对应关系。
参与者为 188 名年龄在 13-18 岁的女性芭蕾舞演员，她们完成了研究结构的自我报告测量和行为任务。
线性回归模型表明，更严重的身体不满与增加的饮食失调思维和行为呈正相关（p<0.19），除了肌肉锻炼（p=0.32）。我们还发现，作为芭蕾舞演员的身份认同感越强，与拥有更小的理想体型相关（p=0.017）。
本研究的结果表明，对更小体型的渴望与更严重的饮食失调认同和更强的芭蕾舞演员身份有关。教师和临床医生可能需要考虑将个人作为芭蕾舞演员的身份认同程度作为饮食失调的风险因素，并鼓励青少年芭蕾舞演员在芭蕾舞之外建立和培养其他身份。
饮食失调是一种使人衰弱的疾病，可导致营养不良、社交孤立甚至过早死亡。尽管饮食失调的思维和行为可能会影响任何人，但在身体要求高和注重身体形象的活动中，如芭蕾舞，青少年尤其容易受到影响。调查身体不满和身份认同等因素与高危群体饮食失调之间的关系，对于制定有效的预防和干预方法至关重要，这些方法可以最大限度地减少伤害。
