Eating disorders, personality, and cultural differences
Date
2010-09-15
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Abstract
Väitekirjas käsitletakse söömishäireid ja söömiskäitumist ning –hoiakuid mitmest erinevast aspektist. Esmalt kirjeldatakse Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2) adapteerimist eesti keelde ja selle abil uuritud isiksuse eelsoodumuse ja emotsionaalse kogemuse osatähtsust söömiskäitumises ja –patoloogias. Söömishäiretega patsientide, kaalujälgijate ja kontrollgrupi testi tulemuste võrdlus kinnitas EDI-2 eestikeelse versiooni usaldusväärsust. Isiksuse eelsoodumus osutus söömishäirete kujunemises olulisemaks kui emotsionaalne kogemus. Seejärel käsitletakse nii isiksuseomaduste kui ka bioloogiliste markerite mõju söömispatoloogiaga seonduvatele sümptomitele, samuti uuritakse isiksuseomaduste ja bioloogilise markerite omavahelist seost ning stabiilsust. Leiti, et söömispatoloogiaga seonduvad sümptomid ja hoiakud on psühholoogilisest ja/või farmakoloogilisest sekkumisest hoolimata ajas väga püsivad. Olulisi seoseid isiksuse eelsoodumuse ja bioloogiliste markerite vahel ei leitud. Järgmises uurimuses võrreldakse erinevaid kultuure, analüüsides EDI andmeid 25 erinevast riigist, kokku 43,722 vastajalt, et selgitada välja kultuuri mõju söömishoiakutele ja –patoloogiale. Tulemus, mis saadi EDI andmete meta-analüüsi põhjal, oli üllatuslik, sest söömishäirete sümptomid väljendusid märgatavalt tugevamini mitte-Lääne kultuuris, võrreldes Lääne kultuuriga. Saadud tulemuste põhjal võib järeldada ka seda, et erinevates kultuurides on söömiskäitumises ja –hoiakutes pigem midagi üldist ja universaalset kui erinevat. Lõpuks võetakse vaatluse alla kaalukõikumine ja selle seos isiksuseomadustega. Uurimusest selgus, et vähese meelekindlusega inimesed võtavad kergesti kaalus juurde ja nende kaal kõigub sageli ja suurel määral. Meelekindlad ja hea enesedistsipliiniga inimesed kaaluvad ennast regulaarselt ja nende kaal püsib suhteliselt stabiilsena.
This dissertation studies eating disorders, eating behavior and eating attitudes from various aspects. First, Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2) was adapted into Estonian. Comparison of eating disordered patients, weight-watchers and controls indicated that the Estonian version of EDI-2 is a reliable and valid questionnaire for detecting and assessing problems related with eating disorders. Also, personality dispositions revealed a larger relevancy in etiology of eating disorders than emotional experience. The next step was to investigate in parallel the influence and stability of personality dispositions and the activity of the serotonin system on eating behavior and attitudes. It was found that self-reported eating problems and symptoms are very stable in time despite psychological and pharmacological intervention. The lack of correlations between personality dispositions and biological markers indicated that they have independent influence on eating disorders. In the next study, a systematic meta-analysis of data collected from 25 different countries with the Eating Disorder Inventory showed that the factorial structure of the aggregate means of the EDI subscales, for both clinical versus non-clinical and Western versus non-Western samples, was almost identical, suggesting generalizability across languages and cultures. Surprisingly, symptoms of eating disorders were found to be more pronounced in non-Western than in Western samples. Finally, associations between personality and weight cycling behavior were examined. It appeared that higher frequency of weight reduction was related to lower personal organization and general degree of persistence, control, and motivation in goal-directed behavior. Also, self-weighing frequency as behavioral expression of weight control was significantly positively related with conscientiousness as well as with self-discipline. People with low conscientiousness gained weight more easily and showed a severe pattern of weight cycling.
This dissertation studies eating disorders, eating behavior and eating attitudes from various aspects. First, Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2) was adapted into Estonian. Comparison of eating disordered patients, weight-watchers and controls indicated that the Estonian version of EDI-2 is a reliable and valid questionnaire for detecting and assessing problems related with eating disorders. Also, personality dispositions revealed a larger relevancy in etiology of eating disorders than emotional experience. The next step was to investigate in parallel the influence and stability of personality dispositions and the activity of the serotonin system on eating behavior and attitudes. It was found that self-reported eating problems and symptoms are very stable in time despite psychological and pharmacological intervention. The lack of correlations between personality dispositions and biological markers indicated that they have independent influence on eating disorders. In the next study, a systematic meta-analysis of data collected from 25 different countries with the Eating Disorder Inventory showed that the factorial structure of the aggregate means of the EDI subscales, for both clinical versus non-clinical and Western versus non-Western samples, was almost identical, suggesting generalizability across languages and cultures. Surprisingly, symptoms of eating disorders were found to be more pronounced in non-Western than in Western samples. Finally, associations between personality and weight cycling behavior were examined. It appeared that higher frequency of weight reduction was related to lower personal organization and general degree of persistence, control, and motivation in goal-directed behavior. Also, self-weighing frequency as behavioral expression of weight control was significantly positively related with conscientiousness as well as with self-discipline. People with low conscientiousness gained weight more easily and showed a severe pattern of weight cycling.
Description
Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsioone.
Keywords
doktoritööd, psühholoogia, söömishäired