Possible Selves in Midlife Women: Toward a more diverse understanding of social and contextual factors related to risk for disordered eating

Most eating disorders (ED) research has focused on young women.  This has left other vulnerable groups largely overlooked, such as middle-aged women and those from minority backgrounds. Leslie Frazier, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Florida International University, and her team, are using an MRI grant to address this gap in the literature and to better understand the extent and the nature of eating disorder risk in menopausal women. Their research will develop and test a theoretically driven model of the influences of biopsychosocial, intra- and interpersonal and sociocultural factors that may impact culturally diverse middle- aged women’s self-perceptions, body image, emotional regulation and risk for ED’s.

The hypotheses of this study are that menopausal women who have negative self-perceptions of aging and have experienced more problematic menopausal symptoms, especially weight gain, may have internalized sociocultural “thin-ideal” and this may manifest in appearance-related hoped for and possible selves. The research will explore whether possible selves have positive or negative influences on behavior and risk. They also hypothesize that menopause may be related to elevated body image concerns, greater emotional dysregulation, and higher levels of disordered eating. This study is the first to examine how cultural background influences the perception of aging and menopause, how these sociocultural influences are internalized and how psychosocial and sociocultural factors related to self and relations with others may influence ED risk.

The participants are 538 women between the ages of 40 and 65 who have experienced symptoms of pre-, peri- or post-menopause. Participants will answer online surveys with questions about Emotional Dysregulation, Body Dissatisfaction, Self-perceptions of Aging and Eating Disorder Symptoms.

Findings from this study will address several gaps in the ED literature.  They expect to find evidence-based differential profiles for women that will be helpful prevention/intervention to reduce the rising rates of EDs in this understudied population.  Findings for the study will help to advance diversity-affirming risk profiles and therapeutic approaches that recognize the importances of this developmental period in ED risk. Further, the construct of possible selves can be used in therapeutic settings to help women cognitively reframe their body image and to create more realistic and healthy appearance-related goals that will impact behavior and risk in positive and adaptive ways. Finally, the older population in the United States is growing rapidly and interventions implemented in mid-life could improve later life health and well-being.