Publication Date

Spring 2020

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

Advisor

Matthew R. Capriotti

Keywords

body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, gender minority, minority stress

Subject Areas

Clinical psychology; LGBTQ studies

Abstract

Gender minority individuals experience elevated rates of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in comparison to cisgender individuals; however, research assessing why this health disparity exists is limited. To address this gap, the present study investigated gender minority stress and resilience factors as proposed in the gender minority stress and resilience model (GMSR), sociocultural influence factors as proposed in the tripartite influence model of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating (TI), and an integration of these two theoretical frameworks in efforts to better explain disordered eating etiology for gender minority individuals. Results of regression analyses demonstrated that the integration of GMSR and TI model factors better explained disordered eating experiences compared to the GMSR model alone. As well, the majority of relationships observed between model factors and disordered eating were as expected; however, the role of gender identity pride deviated from theory. Unexpectedly, body dissatisfaction showed no significant relationship with disordered eating and was not well explained by the TI model, although the integrated TI and GMSR model showed adequate explanatory power. Results provide evidence supporting the application and integration of the two models in understanding disordered eating and body dissatisfaction experiences among gender minority people.

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