Psy. D., Antioch University, 2020, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

Stigma toward individuals with eating disorders is common and well-documented. Individuals with eating disorders regularly report experiencing stigma associated with perceptions that they are to blame for their illness, that their illness is trivial compared to other conditions, or that they are engaging in disordered behavior to gain attention. These stigmatizing attitudes toward eating disorders are also reported by the general public and healthcare professionals, including those who treat eating disorders. Treatment of these illnesses at all levels of care often include paternalistic approaches such as coercion and compulsion that can have both adverse and advantageous consequences. While there are ethical, clinical, and legal justifications for these treatment approaches, this study provides a novel exploration of the relationships between stigma toward individuals with eating disorders and coercive and compulsive treatment. This was accomplished using a survey methodology to assess the attitudes and treatment practices of treatment providers across the United States. The results of this study suggest that there is no significant relationship between treatment providers' attitudes toward individuals with eating disorders and coercive or compulsive treatment methods. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed and center on the need for additional inquiry to better understand the complexities of these two variables in light of the ongoing debate concerning the risks and v benefits of coercive and compulsive treatment. This dissertation is available open access at AURA, http://aura.antioch.edu and Ohio Link ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu

Committee: Chris Heffner Psy.D., Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Shannon Albert Psy.D. (Committee Member); Cara Dalbey Psy.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Clinical Psychology; Ethics; Health Care; Mental Health; Psychology; Quantitative Psychology; Social Psychology

Honors Theses, Ohio Dominican University, 2020, Honors Theses

Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses with high levels of stigma and a heightened awareness of the judgements of an individual based on the health and portions of food on their plate. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of public eating and stigma awareness in the development of eating disorders in high risk college aged individuals. Participants were randomized and placed into observed and unobserved eating groups, offered a buffet of healthy and unhealthy foods, and after a timed eating period filled out a series of questionnaires. Results indicated that there was no significant difference in caloric intake or health intake between the observed and unobserved groups. Furthermore, the knowledge of mental illness stigmas in society had no impact on risk, the health of the selected foods, or caloric intake. Analysis did show that a BMI classified as obese or overweight was significantly correlated with a higher risk for eating disorder development. This indicates that stigma awareness and awareness of public perceptions of food may not contribute to eating disorder development, however, a higher BMI may be a risk factor for eating disorder development.

Committee: Valerie Matthews Ph.D. (Advisor); Kathleen Gorman - Ezell Ph.D. (Other); Martin Brick Ph.D. (Committee Member); John Marazita Ph.D. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Psychology