your risk of suffering from an eating disorder.
The number of people who suffer from an eating disorder has increased significantly over a number of years and now “eating disorders affect 5 to 10 million people in the united states,” (Rayworth, Wise, Harlow; 2004;p271). In 2004, a case study was performed by Beth Rayworth, Lauren Wise and Bernard Shaw to investigate the effects of childhood abuse and the risk of eating disorders. The research was based primarily in women. The results demonstrated that, “when compared with women who reported no abuse, women who reported childhood abuse had twice the odds of suffering from subclinical eating disorders”. The study further revealed that “women who reported both physical and sexual eating abuse…, had three times the odds of developing eating disorder symptoms.” This is also reiterated in the numerical results, included in the article which demonstrated that when investigating from a sample of 61 women, who had suffered sexual abuse in the past, 2.2% of them showed symptoms of an eating disorder, whereas from a group of 265 women, who were never abused, only 1.0% showed any symptoms of a possible eating disorder. (Rayworth, Wise, Harlow; 2004; p.276). As a result it can be deduced that the prospect of a woman suffering from an eating disorder, is greatly increased if the woman was a victim of childhood abuse.
This conclusion is the same for physical and sexual childhood abuse. From a group of 220 victims of childhood physical abuse, 2.1% of them showed symptoms of an eating disorder whereas only 1.1%, of a group of 265, who did not at any point suffer from physical abuse, demonstrated symptoms of an eating disorder. (Rayworth, Wise, Harlow; 2004; p.276).
From a group of 325 people, who did not endure sexual abuse, only 5% showed signs of the eating disorder called ‘Self- induced vomiting’ whereas 24%, out of a group of 17 people who had suffered sexual abuse, showed signs of the disorder. (Johnson, Cohen, Karen; 2002; p.389). As a result, evidence would suggest that an interrelationship is made between the risk of gaining or suffering from eating disorders and the effect of a traumatic childhood.
The article also illustrated that victims of either physical or sexual abuse had a significantly lower risk of suffering from an eating disorder than someone who had endured both forms of abuse (that is physical and sexual), during their childhood.
The evidence from this article demonstrates that victims of childhood adversities or abuse are therefore at higher risk of suffering from an eating disorder.
From the article, Childhood Adversities Associated with Risk for Eating Disorders (Johnson, Cohen, Kasen, Brook; 2002) it is suggested that the risk of someone suffering from an eating disorder is greatly affected parental behaviour. However the impact of maladaptive paternal behaviour greatly differs from the impact of maladaptive maternal behaviour. For example, there was not a considerable correlation between unstable maternal behaviour and offspring risk for eating disorders, but with father’s on the other hand, it was said that “maladaptive paternal behaviours remained significantly associated with offspring risk for eating disorders”. ( Johnson, Cohen, Kasen; 2002; p 397). Moreover, the correspondence between maladaptive paternal behaviour and the risk of suffering from an eating disorder was majorly increased by lack of recognition with the father and it was argued that “youths that did not identify with their father were at elevated risk for eating disorders” ( Johnson, Cohen, Kasen; 2002;p 397).
It is somewhat surprising to what extent the effect that inadequate paternal behaviour has on the risk of gaining an eating disorder. From the research in the article, it was highlighted that, from a total number of 313 people who did not experience ‘low paternal assistance to mother’, only 9% showed signs of an eating disorder. Yet, from a group of 72 people which did experience the childhood adversity, 21% showed signs of an eating disorder. Therefore, it can be understood that the influence of maladaptive paternal assistance to the mother can impact the children
Moreover, from a sample of 368 people who did not undergo ‘inadequate parental supervision’, , only 25%, showed signs of strict dieting but from a group of 17 people, who did undergo ‘inadequate parental supervision’, 59% of showed signs of strict dieting. ( Johnson, Cohen, Kasen; 2002; p.389) which would further indicate that parental mistreatment has a stronger impact on the risk of having an eating disorder or using dieting techniques. Therefore, it is unmistakeable that a vast range of Childhood Adversities, and differing examples of abuse, greatly contribute to the risk of the offspring suffering from eating disorders. Although, for the case of eating disorders, paternal maladaptive behaviour has incredible impact on offspring, this is surprisingly the case for other psychiatric disorders. ( Johnson, Cohen, Kasen; 2002; p.389). However it is conspicuous that childhood maltreatment, sexual, physical or emotional abuse, maladaptive parental behaviour and and/ or lack of parental identification greatly contributes to the risk of offspring suffering from a eating disorder.
Child Anorexia
Seven year old Miranda suffered from child anorexia. ‘She weighed 23 pounds lighter than she should have been, with a body mass index (BMI) of just 12.5 and a BMI of under 18.5 is officially considered to be underweight’ (Hill; 2007). After being sent to Rhodes Farm in London, Miranda explained having anorexia saying “its like a pixie in my tummy who is like the devil and is always fighting me when i want to eat” (Hill; 2007). Although this seems shocking, Dr Dee Dawson, founder and medical director of the clinic at Rhodes Farm stated that ‘The age of children suffering eating disorders is definitely getting younger and younger; there is no doubt about that at all,’ she further explained that ‘It used to be rare to see girls here before they hit puberty but now they make up at least one third of the children treated here at any one time. The average age of onset used to be 16 but that age is steadily dropping.’ (Hill;2007).
Since Dawson introduced the idea of residential homes for children with eating disorders in 1989, Rhodes Farm has treated 2,000 children. However, Dawson disagrees with the idea that child anorexia is due to unresolved trauma because by the time a child comes in for treatment, the cause of their eating disorder has either been resolved or forgotten. An example is 17- year old Anna Marie who is unable to explain why she developed the illness which meant that she fell to 60.8 per cent of her minimum body weight with a heart beating at less than half its healthy rate. She stated ‘I really want to figure out why I got ill but I just don’t know,’. As a result it can be deduced that the risk of acquiring anorexia is not directly linked to childhood adversities or intense childhood drama.
The impact of the Media, and Body Image ideals, on the risk of suffering from an eating disorder
Researched studies show that there is a correlation between the risk of acquiring an eating disorder and the images now exposed to the public on social media and in the media such a magazines and websites. Around ten million people of the approx. six billion people in the world suffer from some sort of disordered eating (……) and this is increasing. The importance society places on weight and appearance is clear in modern society. Dr Colin Michie, the chairman of the nutrition committee at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health stated that the rise in eating disorders is “not peer pressure.” and that “…children do not have a problem with food that is different to problems they had before” (Michie; 2015) . She further concludes that the cause of the rise in eating disorders is due to overexposure to advertising of celebrities bodies caused through increased usage of mobile phones. This theory was also reiterated by Rhiannon Lucy Cosslet, who found that out of 6,000 children 1/5 felt under pressure from media to lose weight (Cosslet; 2015). As a result it can be argued that the influence of the Media on young children have a significant effect on their dieting. Moreover, there has been a considerable increase in the number of under 19 year olds needing to be hospitalised for eating disorders. Where 658 children needed a spelling hospital in 2003-4 by 2014-2013 this had increased to 1,791 and 14 year old girls ending up in hospital rose from 74 ,in 2003-4, to 336 in 2013-4 (Campbell, 2015 ,NHS).
Young children have a high risk of acquiring anorexia when it can become a phase or popular trend. For example following the questioning of a 17 year old girl, she stated that she became anorexic when she “joined the pro-ana movement” (Wolf; 2015) – pro-ana meaning pro-anorexia .Although this seems absurd, these pro-bulimia/ pro-anorexia websites offer advice to young people on how to avoid food; for example a fasting journal or how to hide your eating disorder from your family. (Wolf;2015). As a result it can hardly be suprising that the NHS declared that the number of teenagers admitted to hospital with eating disorders has nearly doubled in three years ( Wolf;2015) and
Another way the media is is effecting the dieting of young children is through the increasingly popular fashion of ‘clean eating’. Fitness magazine define clean eating as being about “eating whole foods, or “real” foods — those that are un- or minimally processed, refined, and handled, making them as close to their natural form as possible” (Jocelyn Voo). However, Clean eating has become another way of monitoring your eating habits to a dangerous conclusion. From the article Clean eating trend can be dangerous for young people – experts warn depicts clean eating as a ridiculous phenomenon which is incredibly dangerous. Experts say that people can “develop particular eating habits , or wont eat food when walking because they think that food only can be processed when they’re sitting down”. This irrational behaviour is further intensified by food bloggers such as Deliciously Ella who promote different ways to eat “clean” foods.
Eloise Parry was a 21 year old woman who died from consuming slimming pills. She did read articles about the perils of slimming pills but she believed the “being slimmer was worth the risk” (Cosslet; 2015). The charade maintained by magazines and celebrities that weight loss is smooth and effortless is an unachievable goal and as a result, Eloise died at a very young age.
Modelling and Anorexia- the effect of the media on young people
The media is also crucial when it comes to the increased number of models suffering from anorexia. “My agents told me to stop eating” – (Priya Elan; Cosslet; 2015) as a result it can be argued that the importance of being slender and eating minimal amounts are vital in the modelling agency which is setting unreasonable standards for young girls who want to pursue modelling careers. This is further justified by the example of Zuzanna Buchwald (Wilhemina Modelling) who tackled with anorexia for four years after being told to ‘stop exercising and stop eating’ (Cosslet; 2015). Thus it is shown how the lifestyle of a model is increasing the risk of acquiring an eating disorder in young women. Consequently, as these slim, models are photographed on the front cover of magazines, they are influencing the younger generations. This can be seen as 38.8% of 14 year old girls (out of a survey of 6,000 children) admitted to regular dieting (Cosslet; 2015). Moreover, the use of protein shakes, hormones and steroid injections increased among boys by 4.7% and girls by 1.6% (Field, 2005).
However, Alexandra Shulman, editor of Vogue disagrees. “No one said Twiggy made women anorexic” she says, “ Anorexia and bulimia have to do with more factors that the desire to be thin” (Sadgrove;2016). Although this could be said it could also be argued that the effect of models on magazine covers does not explicitly cause anorexia in young adolescents but instead causes body distortion in women who are already conscious about their size. For example, when two groups of women – one consisting of anorexics and bulimics, the other “normal” women – were asked to estimate their own body size after looking at photographs of thin fashion models. The former group measured themselves as substantially bigger after they had looked at the photos; and the “normal” women did not, except for those who admitted to chaotic eating and weight concern. (Sadgrove; 2016). Hence, it can be concluded that the images of slender and sometimes bony women presented in fashion models or in advertisements can have lasting effects on both young and older women.