Eating Disorders in the Context of Minority Communities and Adverse Childhood Experiences
Location
CALS
Publication Date
June 2024
Start Date
1-6-2024 9:00 AM
Description
Although there have been efforts made to increase diversity in research regarding eating disorders (EDs), ED research has historically focused on skinny, white, and affluent women. Most of the perspectives and treatments of EDs have therefore been tailored towards that population. The purpose of this literature review was to explore eating disorders in the context of minority communities and those who have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). English-language literature searches of the PubMed database were conducted using different combinations of the keywords “eating disorder”, “minority communities”, “adverse childhood experiences”, “African American”, and “treatment of eating disorders”. Relevant literature from these searches were manually selected; their bibliographies and related articles were examined to identify additional publications. The final review consisted of 12 publications published between 1998 and 2023. People who experienced more ACEs were more likely to present with an ED in their adulthood, and minority communities are more likely to experience ACEs. Additionally, Black women were shown to have unique experiences with eating disorders that stem from different perspectives, body images, education, and access to treatment. This synthesis of current developments highlights the differences of ED experiences in minority communities and demonstrates the necessity of creating an eating disorder treatment that addresses these differences. Further research needs to be done on the response to treatment of EDs within these communities to ensure the provision of trauma-informed and culturally-tailored care to these patients.
Recommended Citation
Nguyen, Evonne and Creedon, Jennifer MD, "Eating Disorders in the Context of Minority Communities and Adverse Childhood Experiences" (2024). Dept. of Psychiatry Research Symposium. 11.
https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/psych_rd/2024/posters/11
Eating Disorders in the Context of Minority Communities and Adverse Childhood Experiences
CALS
Although there have been efforts made to increase diversity in research regarding eating disorders (EDs), ED research has historically focused on skinny, white, and affluent women. Most of the perspectives and treatments of EDs have therefore been tailored towards that population. The purpose of this literature review was to explore eating disorders in the context of minority communities and those who have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). English-language literature searches of the PubMed database were conducted using different combinations of the keywords “eating disorder”, “minority communities”, “adverse childhood experiences”, “African American”, and “treatment of eating disorders”. Relevant literature from these searches were manually selected; their bibliographies and related articles were examined to identify additional publications. The final review consisted of 12 publications published between 1998 and 2023. People who experienced more ACEs were more likely to present with an ED in their adulthood, and minority communities are more likely to experience ACEs. Additionally, Black women were shown to have unique experiences with eating disorders that stem from different perspectives, body images, education, and access to treatment. This synthesis of current developments highlights the differences of ED experiences in minority communities and demonstrates the necessity of creating an eating disorder treatment that addresses these differences. Further research needs to be done on the response to treatment of EDs within these communities to ensure the provision of trauma-informed and culturally-tailored care to these patients.