Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-6-2023

Publication Title

International Journal of Eating Disorders

Volume

57

Issue

1

Pages

132-145

Publisher Name

Wiley

Abstract

Objective:

To investigate associations between identity intersectionality, with a primary focus on minority identity, and probable eating disorders (EDs) within the US college student population.

Method:

Data consisting of n=414,299 college students' responses to the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment between fall 2015and spring 2019 were utilized for this study. Overall and stratified adjusted odds ratios (aORs) were used to assess the association between different facets of identity(i.e., race/ethnicity, gender identity, and sexual orientation) and probable EDs.

Results:

Among all, in our analytic sample, 7.15% reported a probable ED. Interactions between all three identity variables were significant, and thus stratified odds ratios were evaluated. Transgender men were significantly more likely to report probable ED than cisgender male peers within the following racial/ethnic groups: non-Hispanic White(aOR: 3.33; 95% CI: 2.79, 3.96;p< .0001), non-Hispanic Black (aOR: 3.29; 95% CI: 1.72,6.28;p=.0003), Hispanic (aOR: 2.31; 95% CI: 1.55, 3.43;p< .0001), Asian or Pacific Islander (aOR: 2.19; 95% CI: 1.45, 3.30;p=.0002), Biracial or Multicultural (aOR: 3.36;95% CI: 2.17, 5.22;p< .0001), and other (aOR: 4.19; 95% CI: 2.25, 7.79;p< .0001).

Conclusions:

This study underscores the importance of increasing our understanding of interactions between marginalized identities and the ways in which minority identity informs ED risk.

Public significance:

The impact of multiple marginalized identities on ED outcomes is not well understood. Our study expands on previous ACHA-NCHA studies by addressing identity intersectionality, looking at more than one identity at a time(i.e., specifically race/ethnicity, gender identity, and sexual orientation). Our results contribute unique risk profiles for students who identify with multiple marginalized groups. Further, they indicate that that these associations vary based on the com-pounded effect of the demographic factors considered.

Comments

Author Posting © The Author(s), 2023. This article is posted here by permission of Wiley for personal use, and redistribution. This article was published open access in International Journal of Eating Disorders, VOL. 57, ISS. 1, pp. 132 - 145, (November 6, 2023), https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.24090

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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