Are eating disorders culture-bound syndromes? Implications for conceptualizing their etiology.
Psychological BulletinPublished 1 January 2003
Pamela K. Keel, Kelly L. Klump
Citations514
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TL;DR
Findings suggest that BN is a culture-bound syndrome and AN is not, heritability estimates for BN may show greater variability cross-culturally than heritability Estimates for AN, and the genetic bases of these disorders may be associated with differential pathoplasticity.
Abstract
The authors explore the extent to which eating disorders, specifically anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN), represent culture-bound syndromes and discuss implications for conceptualizing the role genes play in their etiology. The examination is divided into 3 sections: a quantitative meta-analysis of changes in incidence rates since the formal recognition of AN and BN, a qualitative summary of historical evidence of eating disorders before their formal recognition, and an evaluation of the presence of these disorders in non-Western cultures. Findings suggest that BN is a culture-bound syndrome and AN is not. Thus, heritability estimates for BN may show greater variability cross-culturally than heritability estimates for AN, and the genetic bases of these disorders may be associated with differential pathoplasticity.
Keywords
Psychology
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