The relationship among culture-specific factors, pubertal timing, and body image and eating disordered symptoms among adopted Korean adolescent girls.

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation was to examine the role of developmental and culture-specific factors in body image concerns and eating disordered symptoms among internationally, transracially adopted adolescent girls. I specifically sought to replicate past research that suggested early pubertal timing was associated with eating disordered outcomes; to examine the association between racial, ethnic, and adoption factors and eating disordered outcomes; and to test whether these latter associations were moderated by pubertal timing in two samples of adopted female Korean Americans. Early menarche significantly predicted body dissatisfaction, but only in the second study. In the first study there were significant main effects of both birth preoccupation and racial discomfort on two of the body image and ED symptom outcomes - binge eating and weight preoccupation. The first study also revealed a significant main effect between cultural socialization and compensatory behaviors. In the second study, there were significant main effects of birth preoccupation on body satisfaction and ED symptoms. There also were significant main effects of both adoptive identity and ethnic identity on satisfaction with Asian appearances. Across both studies, there was no support for the hypothesis that age of menarche would moderate the association between culture-specific factors and eating disordered outcomes. The study findings provide a cultural framework to help uncover the process and mechanisms by which cultural differences in body image and ED symptoms may exist.