No plagiarism…. please follow all directions….
Review the annotated outline you submitted last week and any feedback you have received from your Instructor.
With this feedback in mind, write a 2-page literature review based on your annotated outline. Submit a 2-page literature review demonstrating what is known about your topic and any identified gaps. The literature review must include at least four of the peer-reviewed research articles you found. At the end of your literature review, write 1 to 2 paragraphs answering the following question:
How will you change, refine, or focus your research question based on your exploration of the literature? Provide justification.
Literature review is constructed in a way that shows in-depth understanding of the Learning Resources and peer-reviewed research. Response meets expectations and provides additional specificity and relevance through details and examples from the peer-reviewed research articles and/or uses more than four research articles.
Response meets expectations and provides additional justification through details and examples from the Learning Resources, peer-reviewed research, or other relevant sources.
Paper meets length requirements, meets expectations, is generally error free (two or fewer), and further exceeds by showcasing an exemplary scholarly voice to develop its message or communicate ideas. … Paper appropriately paraphrases sources, using one or less quotes. Presents polished APA Style. Citations, reference list, and paper formatting are generally error free (two or fewer). … Tone and presentation of ideas are free from bias and objective, unless otherwise directed in the prompt.
1
Eating Disorders in Adolescence
DeRon T Shepherd
MSW, Walden University
COURSE SOCW-6200
Dr. Mary Tinucci
Week 5
March 31, 2024
2
Eating Disorders in Adolescence
Due to the proliferation of social media over the last two decades, the prevalence of
eating disorders among adolescents has risen. As social media app usage has increased, body
humiliation and negative self-perception have also emerged as associated issues. Zastrow et al.
(2019) define anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive eating as the three principal eating disorders.
In addition to analyzing the effects of eating disorders during adolescence, this paper will
investigate body humiliation and social media usage.
Among adolescents, feeding and eating disorders are highly prevalent, constituting a
significant public health concern. Despite the complex and multifactorial nature of their
etiology, research indicates that peer relationships significantly contribute to the development
of these disorders. Peer relationships are crucial to the significant social and emotional
development during adolescence. A significant number of adolescents rely on their peers as a
source of validation and support, as well as information regarding what is considered “normal”
and what is not. This is particularly true for adolescents with nutrition and eating disorders,
who may seek information about dieting, body image, and weight loss from their peers.
Peer interactions have a substantial impact on the development of nutrition and eating
disorders in adolescents. The likelihood of eating disorders developing in adolescents is
increased when they have peers or acquaintances who also struggle with body image or weight.
Increased susceptibility to eating disorders may also be observed
3
among adolescents who associate with peers or acquaintances who are obese-perfect or
slender.
Additionally, dietary disorders may result from peer pressure. There may be peer
pressure on adolescents to maintain a thin physique or diet to blend in. Additionally, they might
experience social pressure to purge or engage in compulsive eating as a means of fitting in with
a specific group.
Conversely, an absence of social support may contribute to the development of eating
disorders. The absence of intimate social connections with family and peers among adolescents
may increase the likelihood of developing eating disorders. As an alternative coping mechanism
for their feelings of isolation and loneliness, they might resort to food. Significantly contributing
to the development of nutrition and eating disorders is peer pressure. Adolescents might
experience interpersonal pressure or the desire to conform to the media’s portrayal of the thin
ideal. Additionally, if they fail to satisfy the expectations of their peers, they may experience
feelings of inadequacy and undergo comparisons. Being unhappy with your body and having
low self-esteem are two effects that might lead to eating problems.
Furthermore, coworkers may contribute to the progression of eating disorders in both
explicit and implicit ways. Indirect means include making comments about a person’s weight or
appearance or discussing their disordered eating behaviors in a way that
normalizes or glorifies them. Direct means include pressuring or coercing someone to engage in
disordered eating behaviors, such as purging, restrictive dieting, or binge eating.
4
The forms above of peer influence have the potential to induce disordered dietary behaviors.
The role of peer interactions in the development of food and eating disorders is
intricate. The pathophysiology of these diseases is complex and involves many different
components. The importance of peer interactions in the development of eating disorders and
poor nutrition during adolescence is, however, undeniable.
Even though feeding and eating disorders have been prevalent for decades, their
prevalence has increased in recent years due to social media and body humiliation. Instagram,
Snapchat, Facebook, X, and TikTok are examples of social media platforms that have matured
into useful communication tools for individuals. Students are permitted to utilize these social
media platforms. By depicting the lives of individuals, the content of these social media
platforms establishes a societal benchmark for how one ought to live. The slender waist, large
breasts, thick thighs, and round, voluminous posterior have dominated social media.
Furthermore, buffer, more masculine males contribute to this. Social media has recently
promoted the cause of plus-size individuals.
A website dedicated to discussing the topic of pro-anorexia is available at
https://www.npr.org/2009/02/27/101210192/countering-the-online-world-of-pro-anorexia.
This site speaks about a woman named Melissa Cox. Melissa Cox first heard about pro-ana
Web sites while her mother was watching Oprah. “I had never met anyone with an eating
disorder before,” she says, “so I kind of felt like I found somewhere where I would be
understood.” At the time, she was a teenager struggling with anorexia. At one point, the 55
foot-7-inch Cox weighed a mere 78 pounds. Cox used pro-ana sites regularly, and she says she
became almost addicted to them. Then, when she was 17, she had a heart attack as a result of
her illness. That started a slow but successful journey toward recovery. Part of that process was
starting a Web site, Ana Death, to help anorexic sufferers recover. Cox’s site mimics the style of
“thinspiration” sites where people who choose to be anorexic post tips on controlling eating
to communicate her healthy message. Most would be drawn to these things because its a
common ground and they do not feel alone.
During adolescence, adolescents experience biological, psychological, and social
transformations. Adolescents are in a state of biological development known as puberty. A
predisposition to bulimic and binge eating disorders may exist in some individuals (Zastrow et
al., 2019). Due to the influence of nutrition on bodily development, feeding, and eating
disorders in adolescents may result in physical deformities or limitations. From a psychological
standpoint, adolescents are transitioning into a period characterized by significant importance
placed on body image and self-concept. Physical transformations occur concurrently with the
brain’s ongoing development (Zastrow et al., 2019).
When dealing with teenagers who suffer from eating and food disorders, cognitivebehavioral theory might serve as a useful foundation. According to Zastrow et al. (2019),
adolescents may benefit from the implementation of family therapy, anxiety reduction
techniques, and psychoeducation. They will learn new thought processes regarding
nourishment and self-esteem through CBT. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is
6
the prevailing treatment approach for eating disorders. Its components include comprehensive
meal plans, dietary guidelines, and the development of strategies to surmount compulsive
thoughts and overcome aversion to particular foods (Zastrow et al., 2019).
Individual therapy is one approach that may be beneficial in addressing nutrition and
eating disorders among adolescents. Developing objectives associated with healthy nutrition,
increased self-esteem, and undesirable emotions may aid adolescents in navigating internal
conflict and personal issues, according to Zastrow et al. (2019). Group therapy is an additional
method that could be implemented to treat feeding and food disorders in adolescents. A group
performs numerous functions. Groups serve various purposes, including task completion,
personal development, therapy, education, socialization, self-help, and support (Kirst-Ashman
& Hull, 2018). Facilitating connections can be beneficial for adolescents suffering from food and
eating issues.
7
REFERENCES
Cohen, A. (2009, February 27). Countering The Online World Of ‘Pro-Anorexia’. www.nor.org.
https://www.npr.org/2009/02/27/101210192/countering-the-online-world-of-pro-anorexia
Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H., Jr. (2018). Empowerment series: Understanding
generalist practice (8th ed.). CENGAGE Learning. Chapter 3, Practicing Skills for Working with
Groups (pp.109-111).
Zastrow, C. H., Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hessenauer, S. L. (2019). Understanding human behavior
and the social environment (11th ed.). Cengage Learning. Chapter 6, Biological Development in
Adolescence (pp. 282319).
Hantman, R.M., Johnston, E. B., Tager?Flusberg, H., Parental Perspectives: How Sensory Sensitivities
Impact the Transition to Adulthood in Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder;
2022.
Bazyma, N., Mamicheva, O., Korhun, L., Krykunenko, Y., Rozina, I., & Dehtiarenko, T. (2022).
Creating the Correctional Environment for Personality Development of Children with Autistic
Disorders. BRAIN. Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience, 13(1), 259275.
https://doi.org/10.18662/brain/13.1/281
Bazyma, N., Zalanovska, L., Brushnevska, I., Ivanenko, A., Shulzhenko, D., & Shvaliuk, T. (2021). The
Problem of Mental Development in Children with Autistic Disorders. BRAIN. Broad Research in
Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience, 12(4), 297313. https://doi.org/10.18662/brain/12.4/251
Vasylieva, N., Drozd, L. (2023). Aspects of the Peculiarities of the Formation of Social and Houshold
Skills in Children with the Disorders of the Autistic Spectrum. BRAIN: Broad Research in
Artificial Intelligence & Neuroscience, Mar2023, Vol. 14 Issue, p319-330, 12p.
https://lumenpublishing.com/journals/index.php/brain/article/view/5933
