Anorexia Flashcards
What are the two subtypes of anorexia?
According to the ICD10:
Restricting type - weight loss by restricting food intake.
Binge-eating/purging type - weight loss by self induced vomiting or laxatives.
Behaviours have to be present for how long before diagnosis?
3 months
How common is anorexia within genders?
Anorexia is 10 times more common in females than in males.
In western countries it occurs in approximately 1-4% of women and 0.2-0.3% of men in their lifetime.
When is anorexia usually diagnosed?
It is usually diagnosed during adolescence or early adulthood and onset before puberty or after age 40 is rare.
Onset often appears to coincide with a significant life stressor such as starting university or leaving home.
Describe the genetic explanation of anorexia
Research evidence suggests that there may be an inherited factor involved in the developing of AN.
Family studies tend to show a higher risk of AN in female relatives of someone with the disorder than in denial relatives of controls, suggests a genetic underpinning.
AN is very complex in terms of symptoms and causes and research suggests that a number of genes are associated with the development of the disorder.
Describe two pieces of research evidence supporting a genetic explanation for anorexia
Scott-Van Zealand et al (2013) found significant differences in and around the EPHX2 gene in females with AN compared to females without the disorder.
Grief et al (2002) looked at families where at least 2 relatives had been diagnosed with the restrictive type of AN and found strong evidence for a susceptibility genes on chromosome 1 as similar markers were found in afflicted pairs in each family.
Describe 3 symptoms of anorexia
Losing weight deliberately is a main symptom as the individual refuses to eat to maintain body weight. A sufferer might also take laxatives, exercise excessively or use appetite suppressants to help weight loss.
The individual has a distorted body image. They deny there is a problem and perceives themselves as larger than they are.
Physical symptoms will occur. The individual will feel constantly cold and wear baggy clothing to hide their thinness. The body and face become covered in fine down hair called lanugo.
State two strengths of the genetic explanations for anorexia
👍🏼There is a large amount of supporting evidence for a genetic explanation of AN. E.g. Twin studies show a higher concordance rate in MZ twins (44%) compared with DZ twins (12.5%). Furthermore family studies too show that closer relatives are more likely to show a link to AN than more distant relationship or the general population.
👍🏼It has positive contributions to society. If AN is seen as having a biological cause then there will be less stigma attached, less blame and more compassion for sufferers. It also helps to change the approach to treating eating disorders by challenging the view that people with anorexia ‘just need to eat’.
State two weaknesses of the genetic explanations for anorexia
👎🏼A genetic explanation for anorexia is an oversimplification for a complex psychological disorder. It is suggested that multiple factors work together to cause the illness. Certain gene markers simply increase a persons risk of developing the illness but are not the sole cause. As a result, understanding the genetic influence in isolation does not help us find an appropriate treatment.
👎🏼The genetic explanation for anorexia is reductionist as it stating that biological factors are the cause of the disorder. Other societal or cultural factors might play a large part in causing a disorder. If MZ twins have concordance rate of 50% this leaves the other 50% to be explained by something other than genes. E.g. Prevalence rates are so much higher in western countries where media pressure to be thin is more exaggerated.
What is a non biological explanation of anorexia?
Social learning theory
Describe SLT as an explanation for anorexia in terms of modelling
Social learning theory suggests that anorexia can be acquired indirectly, through observation of a role model who provides a template for behaviour that the observer can imitate.
Role models are influential as they can modify social norms by establishing what is usual behaviour.
Describe SLT as an explanation for anorexia in terms of vicarious reinforcement
A key part of SLT is observing the positive or negative consequences of a behaviour performed by a role model.
If a role model is praised for losing weight, this makes it more likely that the observer will also try to lose weight in order to receive the reinforcement vicariously.
If the observer is then directly praised by friends and family for their weight loss, this direct reinforcement motivates the observer to continue with this behaviour.
Describe SLT as an explanation for anorexia in terms of the role of the media
The media provides a rich source of symbolic models and is a powerful transmitter of cultural ideals about body shape and size.
In western cultures this ideal has become thinner and thinner, to the point that size zero is presented as a body shape for young women to aspire to.
As a result young women who are aware of media figures may identify with the glamour of denial celebrities and fashion models who conform to this ‘thin ideal’.
This thin ideal is vicariously reinforced through fame, success and wealth the celebrities achieve.
Young women are then motivated to lose weight to achieve this thinness through dieting and excessive exercise in hope of gaining respect and success as well.
State two strengths of the SLT explanation for anorexia
👍🏼There is supporting evidence from Dittmar (2006) who studied the influence of one common model of the thin ideal, Barbie, on 162 British girls aged 5 to 8 years. Girls who had seen imagers in a book of barbie doll were significantly more dissatisfied with their body shape and had significantly lower body esteem than girls who had seen Emma dolls or control images. The researchers concluded that the girls internalise then thin ideal that Barbie represents which initiates body dissatisfaction that may lead to anorexia.
👍🏼SLT as an explanation of anorexia has contributions to society. Understanding the impact role models have on young girls and boys has resulted in many fashion magazines introducing curvier models who have a more realistic body shape and size zero models have been banned from catwalks by some fashion labels.
State two weaknesses of the SLT explanation for anorexia
👎🏼SLT is not a cause and effect explanation of anorexia. If media influence is a major cause of anorexia then we would expect to see many more cases, as most young women are exposed to role models of thinness in the media on a regular basis. This suggests that there is another factor involved. The diathesis stress explanation would suggest that there is an underlying vulnerability to develop anorexia which may be genetic. This could then be triggered by an environmental stressor such as pressure to be thin or a significant childhood trauma. Therefore an explanation that accommodates both biological and non-biological factors is more valid then looking at SLT alone.
👎🏼The research the theory is based on lack ecological validity. This is because studies have taken place in artificial lab settings e.g. In Banduras studies the bobo doll and other materials were placed in the room where the children were observed and the adult was deliberately aggressive or subdued towards the doll in the same way that the model had acted and may not have acted like this in real life.
