Relational health and disordered eating in black, latina, and white female college students

132 Pages·2001·4.9 MB·English

by  Goldman, Lynne G.

RELATIONALHEALTHANDDISORDEREDEATINGIN
BLACK,LATINA,ANDWHITEFEMALECOLLEGESTUDENTS
By
LYNNEG.GOLDMAN
ADISSERTATIONPRESENTEDTOTHEGRADUATESCHOOLOFTHE
UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDAINPARTIALFULFILLMENTOFTHE
REQUIREMENTSFORTHEDEGREEOFDOCTOROFPHILOSOPHY
UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDA
2001
.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Inrecognitionofmygrowthwithinconnection,Iacknowledgethepeoplewho
havebeenanintegralpartofmysupportnetworkduringthemanyyearsofmyacademic
journey. . .
Firstandforemost,Ithankmybestfriendandhusband.Dr.RichardGoldman,
whoseunfailingfaithinmyabilitytoaccomplishmygoalconstantlybuoyedmyspirits
andhelpedme'staythecourse'evenduringmymostarduousstruggles. Ialsothankmy
twowonderfulsons,BrianandMichael,whobelievedinmeandofferedtheirsupport
openlyandlovingly.
Specialthanksgotomymotherandsister. Thoughitiscurrentlydifficultformy
mother,RuthGreenstein,tounderstandmyaccomplishment,shehasalwaysbeenoneof
mybiggestfansandanardentbelieverinthebenefitsofeducationthroughoutour
lifetime. Mysister,SueKurtz,hasofferedunconditionalloveandsupportevenwhenher
ownroadhasbeenquiterocky.
Iwouldalsoliketothankmyfriends,whofromnearandfar,havealways
encouragedandguidedmetoremainpositiveandconnected. Gail,mydearestfriendof
28years,hasalwaysbeenabeaconoflightthroughsomeverydarktimes.Tovah,Suni
andMaryAnn,mygradschoolbuds,havebeenconstantlysupportiveandunderstanding
duringmydissertationprocess. Andlastbutnotleast,thelaughterandencouragement
frommycolleagues,Ann,Sarah,Berta,Sandy,Jeannie,Bev,Linda,Julie,andPaulahas
beenpriceless.
u
Iwouldliketogivemygratitudetomydoctoralcommittee: Dr.JamesArcher,
Chair;Dr.DavidMiller;Dr.SilviaEchevarria-Doan;andDr.JoeWittmer. Withouttheir
guidance,thecompletionofthisresearchprojectwouldnothavebeenpossible.
Ill
TABLEOFCONTENTS
page
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ii
ABSTRACT
vi
CHAPTERS
INTRODUCTION
1 1
Overview
1
TheoreticalFramework 4
StatementoftheProblem 6
NeedfortheStudy 9
PurposeoftheStudy 12
RationalefortheApproach 13
ResearchQuestions 15
DefinitionofTerms 16
2 REVIEWOFTHELITERATURE 19
Introduction 19
TheoreticalModel 19
RiskFactorsforDisorderedEatinginCollegeWomen 27
SocioculturalEnvironment 28
AdjustmenttoCollege 33
RaceandEthnicity 35
ProtectiveFactorsAgainstDisorderedEatinginCollegeWomen 40
PeerRelationships 41
MentorRelationships 47
CommunityRelationships 52
ChapterSummary 5g
3 METHODOLOGY 60
^ Overview gO
*'i Population ^0
• .' DSeasmipglningandSamplingProcedures ZZZZZZZei61
IV
Instrumentation 62
RelationalHealthIndices 62
EatingAttitudesTest-26 64
DataAnalysis 67
HypothesisandResearchQuestions 67
Hypothesis 67
ResearchQuestions 67
4 RESULTS 70
DataCollection 70
DataAnalyses 71
Hypothesis 71
ResearchQuestions 73
5 DISCUSSION 81
HypothesisSummaryandExplanationofFinding 81
ResearchQuestionsandExplanationsofFindings 83
LimitationsoftheStudy 90
ImplicationsoftheFindingsandRecommendations 91
ImplicationsforTheory 92
ImplicationsforPractice 93
ImplicationsforResearch 94
Summary 95
APPENDICES
A COVERLETTER 97
B THERELATIONALHEALTHINDICES 98
C THEEATINGATTITUDESTEST-26 101
REFERENCES
IO2
BIOGRAPHICALSKETCH
123
AbstractofDissertationPresentedtotheGraduateSchool
oftheUniversityofFloridainPartialFulfillmentofthe
RequirementsfortheDegreeofDoctorofPhilosophy
RELATIONALHEALTHANDDISORDEREDEATINGIN
BLACK,LATINA,ANDWHITEFEMALECOLLEGESTUDENTS
By
LynneG.Goldman
May2001
Chair:JamesArcher,Jr.
MajorDepartment:CounselorEducation
ThepurposeofthisstudywastoexaminetherelationshipbetweenBlack,Latina,
andWhitefemalecollegestudents'relationalhealth,specificallypeer,mentor,and
communityrelationships,anddisorderedeatingattitudesandbehaviors. Relational
healthwasdefinedaccordingtotheconstructsofmutuality,authenticity,and
empowermentorzestwithintheStoneCenter'sRelationalModel,atheoryofwomen's
psychologicaldevelopment. Participantsinthestudywere237Black,Latina,andWhite
femaleundergraduatestudentswhocompletedtheRelationalHealthIndicesandthe
EatingAttitudesTest-26. Resultsofthisstudyshowedasignificantcorrelationbetween
peerandcommunityrelationshipsanddisorderedeating. Noassociationbetweenmentor
relationshipsanddisorderedeatingwasdetected. Betweengroupdifferencesamongthe
threeethnicgroupswasnotasignificantresearchresult. Theimplicationsofthese
findingsfortheory,practice,andresearcharediscussed.
VI
CHAPTER
1
INTRODUCTION
Overview
Researchersconsistentlyreportthatbetween4and18percentoffemalecollege
studentsmeetthecriteriafortheclinicaleatingdisordersofanorexianervosa,bulimia
nervosa,andbinge-eatingdisorder(Drewnowski,Yee,&Krahn,1988;Hesse-Biber,
Marino,&Watts-Roy,1999;Mintz&Betz,1988;Pope,Hudson,Yurglen-Todd,&
Hudson,1984;Pyle,Neuman,Halvorson,&Mitchell,1991). Furthermore,between60
and80percentofcollegewomenengageinsubclinicaleatingdisorderswhichare
characterizedbyexcessivedietingandexercising,fasting,andotherharmfulbehaviors
thatfallshortofthecriteriasetbyclinicaleatingdisorderscales(Hesse-Biberetal.,
1999)yetrepresentcharacteristicswhichareapartofacontinuumofdisorderedeating
(Scarano&Kalodner-Martin,1994;Tylka&Subich,1999). Manyoftheseweightand
bodyimageconcernsorevenobsessionsaresocommononcollegecampusesthatthey
havebecomenormalizedbyourcurrentsocioculturalenvironment(Hesse-Biber,1996).
Thenegativeimpactofdisorderedeatingonphysicalandpsychologicalhealth
andonsocialandvocationalfunctioninghasbeendocumentedextensively(Kaplan&
Woodside,1987;Katzman&Wolchik,1984;Mizes,1988;Sharp&Freeman,1993;
Williamson,Kelley,Davis,Ruggiero,&Bloudin,1985). Womenwhohaveaneating
disorderreportawidevarietyofphysicalandpsychologicalsymptoms,including
dizziness,sleepdisturbance,gastrointestinalcomplaints,anxiety,depression,and
1
J
substanceabuse(Mitchell,1984). Furthermore,thesegirlsandwomenoftenexperience
interpersonaldifficulties,includingconflictedrelationshipswithfamilymembers,social
alienation,interpersonaldistrust,andimpairedsexualfimctioning(Coovert,Kinder,&
Thompson,1989;Evans&Wertheim,1998;Grissett&Norvell,1992;Thelen,Farmer,
Mann,&Pruitt,1990).
MostoftheeatingdisorderresearchtodatehasfocusedprimarilyonWhite
women,oftentotheexclusionofotherracialorethnicgroups(Lester&Petrie,1998).
OnlyasmallnumberofstudiesintheUnitedStateshavespecificallyobservedeating
disordersymptomatologyinwomenofcolor(e.g.,Abrams,Allen,&Gray,1993;Akan
&Grilo,1995;Altabe,1998;Anderson&Hay,1985;Caldwell,Brownell,&Wilfrey,
1997;Fitzgibbon,Spring,Avellone,Blackman,Pingitore,8cStolley,1998;Grange,
Telch,&Agras,1997;Gray,Ford,&.Kelly,1987;Hiebert,Felice,Wingard,Munoz,&
Ferguson,1988;Lester&Petrie,1998;Lester&Petrie,1995;Nevo,1985;Pumariega,
Edwards,&Mitchell,1984;Robinson&Andersen,1985;Rucker&Cash,1992;Siber,
1986). Inaddition,onlyafewofthesestudiesspecificallyexamineddisorderedeatingin
femalecollegestudentsofcolor. Root(1990)hassuggestedthateventhoughcertain
factorsinminoritycultures,suchasanappreciationofahealthierbodysizeandastable
extendedfamilyandsocialstructure,mayprotectsomeminoritywomenfromdisordered
eating,therealityofwithin-groupindividualdifferenceshasbeenlargelyignored.
SmolakandLevine(1996)reportthatdisorderedeatingbeginsmostcommonly
duringadolescence,thetransitionalperiodofgrowthbetweenpubertyandadulthood.
Thisisatimewhenayounggirlneedstomeetmajordevelopmentaltasksandmasterthe
developmentalissuesofseparatingfromthefamily(Chatoor,1999). Concurrently,a
younggirlfeelspressuretoadapttopubertywhenherbodyproportionschangefrom
thoseofachildtothoseofayoungaduh(Surrey,1991a). Sheneedstomakethe
transitionbetweenlooseningthetieswithherparentsandincreasingherdependencyon
herpeers. Inordertofindherplaceinherpeergroup,sheneedstodealwithpersonal
andculturalvaluesregardingbodyimage,sexuality,andachievement(Chatoor,1999).
Inadditiontoalloftheselifechallenges,thestressfuleventofleavinghomeforcollege
intensifiesthesedevelopmentaldifficultiesforyoungwomenandsetsthestagefor
struggleswithdisorderedeating(Martz&Bazzini,1999). Youngwomenofcolorface
additionalhardshipsincopingwiththevagariesofcollegelifeastheydiscoverthelack
ofavailableconnectiontominoritywomenrolemodelsandmentorsintheuniversity
envirormient(Turner,1997).
Manytraditionaltheoriesofhumanpsychologicaldevelopmentfocusonthe
consolidationofanautonomousidentitythroughseparationandindividuationfrom
parentalfigures(Tantillo,1998). Relationaltheorypositsthattheconstructionoftheself
forwomenoccursthroughpsychologicalconnectionandmutualsharing(Gilligan,1982;
Jordan,1986,1995,1997;Jordan,Kaplan,Miller,Stiver,&Surrey,1991;Kaplan&
Klein,1985;Mikel-Brown«feGilligan,1992;Miller,1976,1984,1986,1988;Stem,
1990;Surrey,1985). Miller&Stiver(1997)statethatafemale'ssenseofselfandof
worthismostoftengroundedintheabilitytomakeandmaintainrelationships.
Furthermore,ithasbeenproposedthatwomenwhofailtorecognizeandmeettheirneeds
forinterpersonalconnectednessstrugglewithhigherlevelsofeatingpathologythanthose
whovaluetheirrelationships(Steiner-Adair,1990;Surrey,1991a).
Althoughallstudentscontendwithdifficultiesrelatedtoadjustmenttocollege,
thistransitionisgenerallymoredifficultforracial/ethnicminoritystudentsthanfor
Whitestudents(Gloria&Rodriguez,2000). Ponterotto(1990)revieweddemographic
trends,enrollments,andattritionandgraduationratesforBlackandLatinostudents. He
indicatedthatminoritystudentsweremorelikelythanWhitestudentstoreportfeelings
ofisolationandoftenfeelunwelcomedandunappreciatedonpredominatelyWhite
collegecampuses. Itispossiblethattheseadaptationstrugglesandfeelingsofisolation
affectthementalandphysicalwell-beingofcollegewomenofcolorandmaybe
manifestedintheattitudesandbehaviorsofdisorderedeating.
Currently,thereislittleresearchfocusedspecificallyoncollegewomenwho
engageindisorderedeatingandtheirrelationships,andresearchontherelationshipsof
eatingdisorderedminoritycollegewomenisvirtuallynonexistent. Lookingmoreclosely
atthedynamicsbetweeneatingdisorderedbehaviorsandrelationshipsmayhelpincrease
theunderstandingofthestrugglesofcollegewomenandpotentiallyprovideinroadsfor
effectiveeducation,prevention,andinterventionstrategies.
TheoreticalFramework
Theimportanceofsocialsupportandrelationshipsingiris'andwomen'sliveshas
beenstudiedextensivelyfromvariousperspectives(Buehler&.Legg,1993;Evans&
Wertheim,1998;Fuhrer,Stansfeld,Chemali,&Shipley,1999). Researchershave
indicatedthatthenatureandqualityofgirls'andwomen'srelationshipsappeartobe
moremeaningfiiltotheirpsychologicalhealththantheiroverallnumberorspecific
interpersonalstructure(Gilligan,Lyons,&Hammer,1990;Hobfoll,1986;Lu8cArgyle,
1992). Inparticular,thosegrowth-fosteringrelationshipsthatareintimateandmutual