Department of Psychology, Spelman College, United States of America.
Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and Counseling, Auburn University, United States of America.
Eat Behav. 2024 Aug;54:101906. doi: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2024.101906. Epub 2024 Aug 4.
Although research has illustrated that racial disparities in access to treatment for binge-eating disorder (BED) among Black women exist, little is known about the psychosocial related experiences of binge eating behaviors among Black women. Binge eating disorder is characterized by the recurrent consumption of large amounts of food within a brief period, accompanied by a loss of sense of control over the eating and distress over the eating behaviors. Past research has shown that race and gender related stressors are positively associated with emotional eating among Black young adult women and that they may engage in problem-solving coping strategies like identity shifting (conscious and unconscious alterations of thoughts, behaviors, perspective, and appearances) to manage these stressors. Considering the literature, the present study was developed to examine the mediating role of identity shifting in the relationship between gendered racism and binge eating symptoms among young adult Black women. To test this assertion, we administered an online survey to 239 Black women (M = 27.32). The results indicated that gender racism significantly predicted both identity shifting and binge eating and identity shifting significantly predicted binge eating. Additionally, identity shifting accounted for 34.5 % of the associations between gendered racism and binge eating symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of exploring experiences of discrimination and coping strategies when considering ways to reduce mental health concerns, such as binge eating symptoms, among young adult Black women.
尽管研究表明，黑人群体中女性暴食症（BED）治疗机会存在种族差异，但对于黑人群体中暴食行为的相关心理社会体验却知之甚少。暴食症的特征是在短时间内反复大量进食，同时伴有对进食行为失去控制感和对进食行为的苦恼。过去的研究表明，种族和性别相关的压力源与黑人社群中的年轻成年女性的情绪化进食呈正相关，并且她们可能会采用身份转换（有意识和无意识地改变思维、行为、观点和外表）等解决问题的应对策略来应对这些压力源。鉴于文献，本研究旨在探讨身份转换在年轻成年黑人群体中性别种族主义与暴食症状之间的关系中的中介作用。为了验证这一假设，我们对 239 名黑人群体中的年轻成年女性（M=27.32）进行了在线调查。结果表明，性别种族主义显著预测了身份转换和暴食症状，而身份转换也显著预测了暴食症状。此外，身份转换解释了性别种族主义和暴食症状之间 34.5%的关联。这些发现强调了在考虑减少年轻成年黑人群体心理健康问题（如暴食症状）的方法时，探索歧视经历和应对策略的重要性。
