Examining the impact of ethnoracial status on drive for thinness and bulimic symptoms in women.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to examine (1) the effects of ethnoracial status on Drive for Thinness (DT) and bulimic symptoms in a large sample of women, and (2) whether the strength of the association between DT and bulimic symptoms differed among ethnoracial groups.

METHOD

Participants (M age = 19.59 years) from five ethnoracial groups (n = 14 American-Indian/Alaska Native, n = 233 Asian, n = 186 Black, n = 125 Hispanic White, and n = 990 non-Hispanic White), completed Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI; Garner et al., 1983) scales.

RESULTS

EDI DT scores were significantly lower in Black women compared to both Hispanic and non-Hispanic White women. EDI Bulimia scores were significantly lower in Black women compared to Asian, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White women. No significant differences were observed among Asian, Hispanic, or non-Hispanic White women. Ethnoracial status moderated the association between DT and Bulimia scores, with a significantly weaker association in Black women compared to Asian, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White women.

DISCUSSION

Findings refute misconceptions that disordered eating uniquely impacts White women and support a nuanced understanding of how ethnoracial status may influence eating disorder risk. Future work should examine sociocultural factors unique to ethnoracial subgroups to inform more targeted and effective intervention strategies.