Body image disturbance in young North European and East Asian women with and without eating disorders in Australia and in Singapore.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate body image disturbance in young women with and without an eating disorder (ED) across two different ethnic groups in Australia and Singapore.


METHODS
The relationship of body image disturbance to cultural orientation and socio-cultural factors was analysed in 154 women with and without an ED. Participants were from the following backgrounds: North European Australian, East Asian Australian, Singaporean Chinese (SC) and North European expatriates in Singapore.


RESULTS
Irrespective of cultural group, women with an ED had similar body dissatisfaction. Among those without an ED, SC women reported greater body dissatisfaction than all other cultural groups. Finally, within each cultural group, ED participants reported significantly higher body dissatisfaction than their non-ED counterparts with the exception of SC women where there was no difference.


CONCLUSIONS
Socio-cultural factors other than body image may play more important roles in SC women's ED psychopathology.
Soh
Nerissa Li-Wey
NL
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Health Service, New South Wales, Australia. nsoh@nsccahs.health.nsw.gov.au
Touyz
Stephen
S
Dobbins
Timothy
T
Surgenor
Lois
L
Clarke
Simon
S
Kohn
Michael
M
Lee
Ee Lian
EL
Leow
Vincent
V
Rieger
Elizabeth
E
Ung
Ken Eng Khean
KE
Walter
Garry
G
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001828:Body Image; D001835:Body Weight; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005060:Europe / Q000208:ethnology; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005202:Asia, Eastern / Q000208:ethnology; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012846:Singapore / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data