Ethnic Identity and Maladaptive Eating: Expectancies About Eating and Thinness in African American Women

This research investigated cultural factors and expectancies about eating and thinness among 93 African American women. Participants completed the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), Eating Expectancy Inventory and Thinness and Restricting Expectancy Inventory (EEI, TREI), and Eating Attitudes Test (EAT). The MEIM assessed affective and developmental aspects of one's own cultural identity, along with attitudes toward other groups. Further, expectancies that eating manages negative affect and thinness leads to life improvement were examined using the EEI and TREI. As hypothesized, those with strong expectancies about eating and thinness showed a significant negative relationship between ethnic identity and maladaptive eating patterns, whereas those with strong expectancies regarding thinness showed a significant positive relationship between other group orientation and maladaptive eating patterns. The results suggest one's identification with their own culture versus another culture is important to developing maladaptive eating patterns, if they feel that eating and thinness play a role in their affect management and life improvement. These factors may help understand who is more vulnerable to the development of disordered eating patterns, and therefore direct treatment among African American women.