Eating Disorders
- What is an Eating Disorder?
- Warning Signs
- Types of Eating Disorders
- Risk Factors
- Classifying Eating Disorders
- Disordered Eating
- Dieting
- Eating Disorders and Children
- Eating Disorders and Adolescents
- Eating Disorders and Males
- Eating Disorders and Older People
- If You Think You May Have an Eating Disorder
- Treatment Information
- For Health Professionals
- Eating Disorders and Other Health Problems
Risk Factors
Risk factors are also referred to as potential ‘causes’ of an eating disorder. Eating disorders can occur across all ages and socio-economic groups, however there are certain groups, such as adolescents and young women, who demonstrate a higher incidence of eating disorders per capita.
Below is a list of potential risk factors for the development of an eating disorder which are standard across all age groups and genders. Individuals who display a number of these risk factors are considered to be at a higher risk of developing an eating disorder.
Psychological Factors
- Low self-esteem
- Feelings of inadequacy
- Incidence of depression or anxiety
- Fear of the responsibility of adulthood
- A belief that love from family & friends is dependent on high achievement
- Poor communication between family members, or the reluctance of parents to allow appropriate degrees of independence as children mature
- Difficulty expressing emotions and feelings, particularly ‘negative’ emotions such as anger, sadness, anxiety or fear
- Ineffective coping strategies
- Perfectionism
- Fear or avoidance of conflict
- Competitiveness
- Impulsive or obsessive behaviours
- A need to please others
- Highly concerned with the opinions of others
- Prone to extremes, such as ‘black and white’ thinking
Social Factors
- Cultural value placed on ‘thinness’ as an inextricable part of beauty
- Current cultural emphasis on the need for a ‘perfect body’
- Valuing of people according to outward appearance and not inner qualities
- Media and popular culture's portrayal of men and women's shapes and bodies that are not representative of ‘real’ men and women
- Pressure to achieve and succeed
- Professions with an emphasis on body shape and size (eg. dancers, models, athletes)
Physiological/biological Factors
- Scientists are currently researching possible biochemical and biological factors and their role in the development of eating disorders
- Research has indicated that in some people with eating disorders there is an imbalance of certain chemicals in the brain
- Adolescence and the associated physical, hormonal and neural changes
- Genetic or familial factors, for example a person who is exposed to a parent or sibling with an eating disorder is at a higher risk of developing an eating disorder themselves. While no conclusive outcome has been reached, research has provided evidence that in some cases this is due to genetic predisposition - rather than just learned behaviour
External Factors
- Life events, particularly those involving major changes (eg. loss of a family member or friend, the divorce or separation of parents, moving schools or jobs)
- Dieting
- Peer pressure
- Inability to effectively deal with stress, whereby a person lacks adequate stress-management strategies
- Personal or family history of obesity, depression, substance abuse or eating disorders
- Troubled personal or family relationships
- Sexual or physical abuse
- History of teasing or bullying, particularly when based on weight or shape
Last Updated: March 2009