The Relationship Among Community Affiliation, Self-esteem, and Eating Disorder Symptomatology in Gay and Lesbian Individuals
Angela Picot, 2005

Abstract

Previous research has indicated that sexual orientation is a relevant variable in determining vulnerability to eating disorder symptomatology. Specifically, gay men are thought to be at risk for developing negative body image and disordered eating. Conversely, lesbian women are thought to be protected against body dissatisfaction and eating pathology, although results are mixed. The main study hypothesis was that greater community affiliation is associated with increased eating disorder symptomatology among gay men and decreased eating disorder symptomatology among lesbian women. Furthermore, the roles of self-esteem, media internalization, gender role identification, and ethnicity on eating disorder symptomatology were examined. A straight sample was also considered in order to evaluate previous findings. Participants were 1028 individuals who attended the 2002 Gay Pride Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, and completed a self-report questionnaire comprised of several standardized measures. Results indicate that gay men have similar rates of body dissatisfaction and eating pathology as straight men, and lesbian women have similar levels of eating disorder symptomatology as straight women. Gay men had similar levels of eating pathology and drive for thinness as lesbian women, as well as greater drive for muscularity and less body dissatisfaction than lesbian women. Results of the moderation hypothesis suggest that lesbian women at higher levels of community affiliation have greater drive for thinness than lesbian women at lower levels. No significant differences were found among gay men at different levels of affiliation. Overall, community affiliation did not appear to have a major influence on eating disorder symptomatology. By contrast, self-esteem was negatively related to all eating disorder symptomatology. Furthermore, for gay men and lesbian women, greater media internalization was associated with higher levels of eating disorder symptomatology. Higher levels of femininity were associated with more body dissatisfaction among gay men and less drive for muscularity among lesbian women. Finally, Caucasian gay men had more body dissatisfaction and eating pathology than African American gay men, and Caucasian lesbian women had more eating pathology than African American lesbian women. Suggestions for developing new means of assessing eating disorder symptomatology are offered. Implications for prevention initiatives and areas for continued research are discussed.