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Article
Acculturation, out-group positivity and eating disorders symptoms among Emirati women
Eating and Weight Disorders
  • Justin Thomas, Zayed University
  • Lily O’Hara, Emirates College for Advanced Education
  • Susanne Quadflieg, University of Bristol
  • Sophia Christin Weissgerber, NYU Abu Dhabi
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-1-2018
Abstract

© 2017, Springer International Publishing Switzerland. Western acculturation has been implicated in the development of eating disorders among populations living outside Europe and North America. This study explored the relationship between Western acculturation, in-group/out-group evaluations and eating disorders symptoms among female citizens of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Emirati college women (N = 209) completed an affective priming task, designed to implicitly assess in-group (Emirati) and out-group (American) evaluations. Participants also completed the Westernization Survey, a widely used self-report measure of acculturation, and the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26). Across the whole sample, out-group positivity was correlated with higher levels of eating disorder symptoms. Participants classified as at risk for eating disorders showed a clear out-group preference (out-group positivity greater than in-group positivity). Western acculturation was also positively correlated with eating disorder symptoms. Overall, these findings lend further support to the acculturation hypothesis of eating disorders in the context of Emirati college women.

Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Keywords
  • Acculturation,
  • Affective prime,
  • Arab,
  • Eating disorders,
  • Identity
Scopus ID
85034643507
Indexed in Scopus
Yes
Open Access
Yes
Open Access Type
Green: A manuscript of this publication is openly available in a repository
https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/baba8e8e-3a8b-407e-8c24-aae6a5cff21c
Citation Information
Justin Thomas, Lily O’Hara, Susanne Quadflieg and Sophia Christin Weissgerber. "Acculturation, out-group positivity and eating disorders symptoms among Emirati women" Eating and Weight Disorders Vol. 23 Iss. 2 (2018) p. 241 - 246 ISSN: <a href="https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/id/publication/issn/1124-4909" target="_blank">1124-4909</a>
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/justin-thomas28211/14/