Award Date

5-1-2015

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

First Committee Member

Cortney S. Warren

Second Committee Member

Jason M. Holland

Third Committee Member

Stephen D. Benning

Fourth Committee Member

Kate H. Korgan

Number of Pages

126

Abstract

According to popular racial and cultural formation theories, ethnic identity is defined as the process of identifying with the culture and practices one's ethnic group while American identity is the process of identifying with the mainstream/majority culture and practices of the United States. A small body of research suggests that ethnic identity and American identity are positively associated with mental health in ethnic minority and European American individuals, respectively. Furthermore, a growing body of research suggests that ethnic identity is associated with diminished eating pathology in minority women. However, the protective effects of ethnic identity against eating pathology are unexplored in European American women. In addition, the relationship between American identity and eating pathology is unexplored in all ethnic groups. To expand our understanding of these constructs, this study examined the relationships between ethnic identity, American identity, thin-ideal internalization and eating pathology in 1018 college women who self-identified as European American, African American, Asian American or Latina. Results indicated that ethnic identity moderated the relationship between thin-ideal internalization and eating pathology for African Americans and Asian Americans (but not for European Americans or Latinas), such that the relationship was weaker for women with strong ethnic identity. In contrast, American identity did not predict or moderate eating pathology. Nevertheless, American identity was a significant positive correlate with eating pathology and/or thin-ideal internalization in all ethnic groups. Overall, these findings suggest that ethnic identity serves as a protective factor against eating pathology, while American identity may be a factor of risk; and that ethnic identity and American identity are related but distinct constructs. Future directions include replication of this study in other populations, as well as an exploration of ethnic identity-geared clinical interventions for eating pathology.

Keywords

American identity; body image; eating disorders; ethnic identity; ethnicity; women

Disciplines

Clinical Psychology | Psychology

File Format

pdf

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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