1.3 Eating Disorders in Athletes

1. 1.3 Eating Disorders in Athletes Pasha and Liam

2. Background (In a 10 marker, it’s worth briefly covering this in the intro) Hausenblas and Carron’s assumptions about eating disorders in sport from the background to their study, for example: • eating disorders are the result of societal norms in Western Civilization (the need to be thin and fit) • It may lead to the value of food being reduced as excessive dieting is part of an athlete’s fitness regime • Perfectionism and compulsiveness drive many athletesand these are the same factors that often give rise to eating disorders

3. … background continued H and C also suggest that there are 3 groups who may be at greater risk of developing eating disorders… • athletes with strict weight limits for events (like boxers) • athletes who need to be small and thin for their activity (e.g. runners) • athletes who need to be thin for aesthetic reasons (e.g. gymnasts)

4. Key vocabulary Meta-analysis: an analysis that combines the results of different studies, using statistical measures. DSM-IV: the fourth version of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders), a book published by the APA that catalogues all known mental disorders (This may have been mentioned in relation to A2 studies like Rosenhan and Thigpen and Cleckley). Effect size: a statistical measure used to describe the magnitude of difference between two groups, using extremely complicated Mathematical equations that aren’t at all relevant to A2 Psychology!

5. Key Study: Hausenblas and Carron Aims: • To investigate whether athletes are more likely than average to develop an eating disorder • To investigate whether some activities were more likely to result in eating disorders • To identify if there was a gender bias in athletes developing eating disorders Eating disorders were taken to be anorexia and bulimia

6. Procedure Meta-analysis of 92 previous studies to investigate the hypotheses. H & C used three measures of eating disorders; • the drive for thinness (basically, a desire to be skinny, which is found in both Anorexia and Bulimia) • DSM-IV definition of anorexia • DSM-IV definition of bulimia The analysis covered 58 different sports, grouped into 6 categories (aesthetic, endurance, ball game, weight-dependant, power and technical) for comparison

7. Results Effect size was used to calculate the difference between the groups, and the selected findings were: • Maleathletes are more likely than male non-athletes to suffer eating disorders • Male athletes in aesthetic, weight-dependent and endurance sports were most likely to have Bulimia. • Interestingly, there is little difference between female athletes and non-athletes in Drive for Thinness. However Diagnosed cases of Anorexia and Bulimia are more likely in female athletes than non-athletes. • Bulimia was reported more frequently in female High School athletes than female college athletes

8. Conclusions Haunsenblas and Carron concluded that both male and female athletes had a higher prevalence of eating disorders than non-athletes, which may be due to the demands placed on them by their sports.

9. Evaluation Discuss in your tables. Some of the following are particularly worth considering… • Is this study flawed by being correlational only? • How useful are the findings? Can they be applied to a real life setting? • What are the advantages and disadvantages of a meta-analysis? • Think about A2 debates as well (reductionist or holistic?)

10. Activity In groups, write some notes on how you would answer the following question (you can develop a plan if you want): Evaluate the usefulness of a meta-analysis study into eating disorders in sport (15)