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Disparities in self‐reported eating disorders and academic impairment in sexual and gender minority college students relative to their heterosexual and cisgender peers
Author(s) -
Simone Melissa,
Askew Autumn,
Lust Katherine,
Eisenberg Marla E.,
Pisetsky Emily M.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/eat.23226
Subject(s) - sexual orientation , transgender , lesbian , psychology , sexual minority , eating disorders , logistic regression , clinical psychology , sexual identity , disordered eating , anorexia nervosa , gender identity , homosexuality , human sexuality , medicine , social psychology , gender studies , psychoanalysis , sociology
Objective The purpose of the current study was threefold: (a) compare rates of self‐reported anorexia nervosa (AN), self‐reported bulimia nervosa (BN), and eating pathology‐specific academic impairment (EAI) by gender identity (cisgender men, cisgender women, transgender or genderqueer) and sexual orientation (gay or lesbian, bisexual, unsure, other), (b) examine associations between gender identity, sexual orientation, and eating outcomes, and (c) identify for whom rates of eating disorder diagnosis and impairment is greatest. Method The study includes a sample of Minnesota students ( n = 13,906) who participated in the College Student Health Survey from 2015 to 2018. Chi‐square tests with bootstrapping examined differences in eating pathology rates between groups. Adjusted logistic regressions tested the association between gender identity, sexual orientation, and self‐reported eating outcomes. Results Chi‐square results revealed heightened rates of self‐reported AN, self‐reported BN, and EAI in cisgender women, transgender or genderqueer, and sexual minority (e.g., lesbian or bisexual) students. Logistic regression analyses in cisgender men and cisgender women revealed higher odds of self‐reported AN, self‐reported BN, and EAI in sexual minority students relative their heterosexual peers. Chi‐square analyses indicated that bisexual cisgender women reported heightened rates of all three eating pathology measures relative to other sexual and/or gender (e.g., transgender) minority students. Discussion Individuals with marginalized gender and/or sexual orientation identities report heightened rates of eating pathology, with cisgender bisexual women reporting the poorest outcomes relative to individuals from other marginalized identities. Preventive efforts and more research are needed to understand the mechanisms driving this disparity and to reduce prevalence among marginalized groups.