Eating disorder literacy and stigmatising attitudes towards anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder among adolescents

O'Connor, C, McNamara, N ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3123-3678, O'Hara, L and McNicholas, F, 2016. Eating disorder literacy and stigmatising attitudes towards anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder among adolescents. Advances in Eating Disorders. ISSN 2166-2630

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Abstract

Little research has investigated adolescents’ understanding of eating disorders (EDs) or attitudes towards people affected by EDs. This impedes the development of targeted health promotion interventions. In the current study, 290 adolescents viewed a vignette depicting a target with either Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, Depression or Type 1 Diabetes. Subsequent questionnaires assessed understanding of and attitudes towards the disorder described . Adolescents recognised the symptoms of depression significantly more frequently than any ED. Relative to depression and Type 1 diabetes, participants held targets with EDs more personally responsible for their illness and ascribed them more negative personality characteristics. The data revealed a particularly unfavourable view of Binge Eating Disorder, which was conceptualised as a failure of self-discipline rather than a medical condition. The results confirm previous findings that EDs are more stigmatised than other mental or physical health conditions and extend the findings to an adolescent cohort.

Item Type:	Journal article
Alternative Title:	Eating disorder literacy and stigmatising attitudes [short title]
Publication Title:	Advances in Eating Disorders
Creators:	O'Connor, C., McNamara, N., O'Hara, L. and McNicholas, F.
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Date:	2016
ISSN:	2166-2630
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1080/21662630.2015.1129635 DOI
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	01 Feb 2016 13:38
Last Modified:	09 Jun 2017 13:58
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/26856

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