Disabilities and eating disorders: A theoretical model and call for research.
Molly Fennig Steinhoff, Phaedra Longhurst, Lindsay Gillikin, M Ariel Cascio, C Blair Burnette, Kirsten Gilbert, Samantha L Hahn
Author Information
Molly Fennig Steinhoff: Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA. Electronic address: fennig.m@wustl.edu.
Phaedra Longhurst: School of Psychology and Sport Science, Anglia Ruskin University, East Anglia, UK.
Lindsay Gillikin: Department of Psychology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA.
M Ariel Cascio: Center for Bioethics and Social Justice & Department of Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
C Blair Burnette: Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
Kirsten Gilbert: Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Samantha L Hahn: College of Medicine, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA.
OBJECTIVE: There is an urgent need for research on eating disorders among individuals with disabilities. This paper highlights the lack of research on the relationships between disabilities and EDs, despite their common convergence. METHOD: In this paper, we aim to 1) highlight the need for further research investigating the relationships between Disability status and EDs, 2) describe existing frameworks for conceptualizing Disability, 3) utilize such frameworks to propose a novel theoretical model of ED/Disability relationships and related sociocultural factors and 4) identify future directions for research in this area. RESULTS: We propose a multidimensional theoretical model of the relationships between EDs and disabilities. Further, we describe how these relationships are likely influenced by a system of individual factors (e.g., Disability (in)visibility, food access, and self-identification) and sociocultural factors (e.g., ableism/discrimination and weight stigma). DISCUSSION: Scholars are encouraged to test our proposed model and further investigate experiences of Disability and ED co-occurrence with participatory research and mixed-methods designs. ED prevention and screening programs, as well as treatment access and efficacy, need to be evaluated for disabled populations. Disability should also be routinely collected as a demographic across studies, and ED measures should be validated and/or developed for individuals with disabilities.
