Mini Workshop 8 - Cultural Competence to Cultural Intelligence: Understanding the Intersection of Discrimination, Microaggressions and Shame in the Treatment of Eating Disorders in BIPOC and LGBTQ+ Communities
Friday, November 18, 2022
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM EST
Location: Cantor/Jolson, 9th Floor
Earn 1.5 CE Credit
Keywords: Culture, Anxiety, Eating Level of Familiarity: Advanced Recommended Readings: Acle, A., Cook, B. J., Siegfried, N., & Beasley, T. (2021). Cultural Considerations in the Treatment of Eating Disorders among Racial/Ethnic Minorities: A Systematic Review. Journal of Cross Cultural Psychology, 52(5), 468-488. Bodell, L. P., Wildes, J. E., Cheng, Y., Goldschmidt, A. B., Keenan, K., Hipwell, A. E., & Stepp, S. D. (2017). Associations between Race and Eating Disorder Symptom Trajectories in Black and White Girls. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 1-14. Watson, R. J., Adjei, J., Saewyc, E., Homma, Y., & Goodenow, C. (2017). Trends and disparities in disordered eating among heterosexual and sexual minority adolescents. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 50(1), 22-31.
Founder Institute for Antiracism and Equity Brooklyn, New York
Women and men from ethnic minority groups and those in LGBTQ+ communities suffer from eating disorders at similar or higher rates than in the general population. People from these communities must often also grapple with additional stigma and marginalization, resulting in a multiple dose of shame, proneness to which has been shown to be a central element in the development of eating disorder symptomatology. Among other factors, a history of chronic microaggressions and discrimination and the well-documented confluence of stressors associated with minority status puts people from these communities at high risk for the development of disordered eating behaviors and their attendant consequences.
Despite the seriousness and lethal nature of eating disorders for all those affected, there remains a tremendous disparity in mental health services utilization among those from marginalized and minority groups. People from these groups are under-identified by professionals and tend to receive and utilize treatment for eating disorders at significantly lower rates. These disparities reflect a profound need for culturally competent assessment and treatment services for members of marginalized communities who are struggling with eating disorders.
An adequate understanding and treatment of eating and body image issues requires an appreciation of identity, self-worth, and shame issues as undeniably intertwined. We will provide an overview of current research and understanding of the phenomenology of shame, eating disorders in minority and marginalized groups, and engage participants in a discussion of identity development with a focus on the effects of discrimination and marginalization. It is essential for therapists, dietitians, physicians, nurses, and other allied professionals to possess cultural knowledge and be able to apply such cultural understanding to assessment and delivery of interventions and therapies as a fundamental aspect of overall clinical competence.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of the session, the learner will be able to:
Better describe how shame, body image and self image are experienced in people from minority and marginalized groups who suffer from eating disorders.
Apply skills for using cultural knowledge to understand the impact of eating disorder clients’ culture, including sexual/gender minority status, country of origin, immigrant or ethnic minority status, and class issues.
Improve sensitivity of providers to their own cultural biases so that they might better understand how their own cultural beliefs impact upon the provision of culturally competent assessment and treatment.
