(PS7-38) Examining the Relationship Between Generational Status, Acculturation, and Disordered Eating Behaviors and Cognitions

Abstract Text: While some immigrant groups experience worse mental health outcomes relative to non-immigrant groups in the U.S., little is known about the relationship between generational status and disordered eating behaviors and cognitions (DEBC). Moreover, while generational status and acculturation are distinct constructs, those examining generational status and DEBC often conflate them, using generational status as a proxy for acculturation. To parse apart their unique relationships with DEBC, we examined the relationship between generational status, acculturation, and DEBC. 189 college students (M_age=19.53±1.77; Female=81%; White=60%, Asian=25%; Black/African American=9.5%, American Indian/Alaska Native=2%, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander=0.5%) completed the 3-factor Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (DEBC subscales: dietary restraint, body dissatisfaction, shape/weight overvaluation), the Stephenson Multigroup Acculturation Scale, and questions about generational status (n_first=42; n_second=101; n_third=46). A one-way ANOVA and linear regression examined differences in DEBC by generational status and acculturation, respectively. Moderated linear regression analyses examined generational status as a moderator between acculturation and DEBC. Finally, linear regression models examined the relationship between acculturation and DEBC within each generational status group. No significant differences emerged for any DEBC subscale across generational status groups (ps > .05). Acculturation did not significantly predict any DEBC subscale, ps >.05. Generational status did not moderate the relationships between acculturation and any DEBC subscale, ps >.05. However, for second-generation participants, higher acculturation to the dominant culture was related to increased body dissatisfaction F(1, 69) = 4.98, p < .05, R² = 0.053, a relationship that was not seen within first- and third-generation participants. For first-generation participants, higher acculturation was related to increased shape/weight overvaluation F(1, 32) = 5.12, p < .05, R² = 0.11, a relationship not present in second- or third-generation participants. Results suggest similar rates of DEBC across and between acculturation and generational status. However, when examined within each generational status group, second-generation participants reported higher body dissatisfaction associated with higher acculturation, and first-generation participants had increased shape/weight overvaluation when experiencing higher acculturation, all of which highlight potential protective factors related to enculturation (i.e., maintaining one’s heritage culture while living in the dominant culture) for immigrants or children of immigrants. Future research should examine these relationships in larger samples, varying age groups, and in other regions of the U.S. where immigrant communities are more prevalent. Considering that much of the population growth in the 21st century will be children of immigrants, elucidating these relationships may inform eating disorder identification and treatment for immigrants and their children.