Disordered Eating in Women of Color: Some Counseling Considerations

Although the relatively young eating disorders field has received increased attention in recent years, eating disorders research has primarily focused on samples of European American adolescent females. Consequently, there continues to be a lack of attention devoted to studying eating disorder symptoms in racially and ethnically diverse groups despite the fact that prevalence rates among women of color for eating disorder symptoms are similar to those of European American women (Kronenfield, Reba-Harrelson, Von Holle, Reyes, & Bulik, 2010; Taylor, Caldwell, Baser, Faison, & Jackson, 2007). For instance, African American and Latina women tend to experience binge eating rates comparable with those of their European American counterparts (Alegria et al., 2007; George & Franko, 2010; Striegel-Moore, Wilfley, Pike, Dohm, & Fairburn, 2000), and Asian American women tend to experience similar or higher rates of body dissatisfaction compared with their European American counterparts (George & Franko, 2010; Grabe & Hyde, 2006; Kronenfield et al., 2010). Even so, traditional research and counseling approaches used to examine and treat women's eating disorder symptoms may not necessarily capture the unique sociocultural experiences of women of color. Empirically established risk factors associated with eating disorders (e.g., body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, thin-ideal internalization, dietary restraint) may be the explanation for the lack of attention given to women of color in the eating disorders literature (Grabe & Hyde, 2006; Shaw, Ramirez, Trost, Randall, & Stice, 2004; Smolak & Striegel-Moore, 2001). Because women of color may have different cultural standards of beauty (Kronenfield et al., 2010; O'Neill, 2003; Polivy & Herman, 2002; Rucker & Cash, 1992; Smart, 2010a, 2010b; Smolak & Striegel-Moore, 2001), the emphasis on drive for thinness in traditional eating disorder models may be inappropriate when understanding, assessing, treating, and preventing eating disorders in women of color. In fact, the limited existing empirical research focused on women of color has shown that multiple contextual factors (e.g., acculturation, racial identity, intersection of race and gender) may have an effect on why and how women of color struggle with their eating behaviors and weight (Polivy & Herman, 2002; Pumariega, Gustavson, Gustavson, Motes, & Ayers, 1994; Rucker & Cash, 1992; Smolak & Striegel-Moore, 2001; Wood & Petrie, 2010). Additional investigations of these factors could advance the eating disorders literature by including the experiences of women who have been virtually ignored. In the first section of this article, we review the existing research related to eating disorders in women of color, including an in-depth look at studies focused on eating disorder symptoms in African American, Asian American, and Latina women. Second, a discussion of sociocultural factors that could influence the manifestation of eating disorders in women of color is presented. Specific factors of consideration include acculturation and enculturation, racism and oppression, and racial and ethnic identity as they relate to the experiences of women of color. Third, implications for counseling practice and research are provided. * Women of Color in the Eating Disorders Literature As previously mentioned, it has been long documented that eating disorders rarely occur among women of color in the United States because they are less likely to be exposed to key risk factors such as a thin beauty ideal or societal pressures to be thin (Chao et al., 2008; Nicdao, Hong, & Takeuchi, 2007; Root, 1990, 2001; Smolak & Striegel-Moore, 2001). However, the increasing presence of eating disorder symptoms among women of color is evidenced by recent research reports (Arriaza & Mann, 2001; Chao et al., 2008; Nicdao et al., 2007; Shaw et. al., 2004; Taylor et al. …