Background: This presentation will examine eating disorders in African-American women from the perspective of coping, self-care and survival following trauma, in addition to viewing eating disorders in this group as they relate to appearance and identity. Presenters will also share information from some of the latest research about eating disorders in African-Americans and discuss integrative health care strategies to heal the mind, body and soul of these clients who present with food and body image issues associated with trauma.
Objectives: 1) Following this presentation, participants will be able to identify 3 specific ways that African-American women experience trauma that can be linked to development and maintenance of disordered eating patterns. 2) Following this presentation, participants will be able to identify 3 changes in healing and dietary practices in African-American individuals that may contribute to development of eating disorders. 3) Following this presentation, participants will be able to identify eating problems as survival strategies as African-American Women cope with trauma.
Association Between Sociological Stressors and Trauma for African-American Women with Eating Disorders
Colorism
Skin Tone
Hair Texture and Style
Size and Shape of Body/Body Parts
Acculturative Stress
Racism
Classism
Gender/Sexism
General Issues Linked to Eating Disorders for African-American Women
History of Trauma and Poverty; Other Special Concerns
Ancestral Eating Patterns (Native and Diaspora)
Integrative Healing and Dietary Practices for African-American Women with Eating Disorders
Additional Marginalized Groups
Emerging Transgendered Population
Attachment Issues
Clinical Implications of Societal Stressors
How African-American Women with Eating Disorders Present in Counseling
Clinical Picture
Integrative Health Coaching to Address the Complexity of Their Issues
Mind (i.e., Depression)
Body (i.e., Obesity, Diabetes, Hypertension)
Soul (i.e., Impact of Environmental Stressors)
Eating disorders (EDs) are often associated with a history of exposure to traumatic events including poverty, rape and other forms of abuse. This presentation discusses the relationship of these conditions and their effects on African-American women, who are well-represented among these groups. While it has long been accepted that EDs occur mainly in young, white females, much of the growing literature on African-American women and body image addresses this misconception. Among the most common traumatic events experienced by persons with EDs are childhood sexual abuse or neglect, and physical abuse and victimization in adolescence and adulthood. In cases where these most common traumatic events are experienced, the clinical picture is often quite complex compared with other cases, because of the early occurring, long-term and consequently, developmentally disruptive effects of the trauma. When assessing African-American women for EDs, it is very important to consider the influences of race and ethnicity on the relationship between identified childhood trauma, such as sexual abuse, as African-American children have nearly twice the risk of sexual trauma as white children.
African-American women often experience traumatizing acculturative stress events which can also serve as mediating factors in the development of eating disorders. Painful acculturative stress events can include racism, bigotry, classism, and gender/sexism. Some researchers believe that acculturative stress, rather than acculturation predicts higher levels of bulimic symptoms among African-American women. And because of the many differences that exist between African-American women, which often provide sources of tension, they also struggle with traumatizing colorism among their own groups continually.
Coping responses that numb painful thoughts and feelings are often associated with binging and purging. Studies show African-American women have low rates of restricting and high rates of binge-eating, ostensibly for comfort and self-soothing which often results in an increase in obesity in this group. It is important to make this statement as co-morbidities associated with obesity are as life-threatening as those associated with EDs. Presenters will also discuss the clinical picture and offer integrative health-care strategies to heal the mind, body and soul of African-American clients presenting trauma-related body image issues and EDs.
Charlynn Small, PhD, CEDS is a licensed clinical psychologist (LCP) at the University of Richmond’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Center in Virginia. She chairs the University’s Eating and Body Image Concerns Team. She is also licensed as a professional counselor (LPC) in Washington, DC, and is certified as a school psychologist in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Published journal articles focus on multicultural education. Dr. Small is Certification Chair of the Richmond, Virginia Chapter of iaedp, is Co-Chair with Dr. Mazella Fuller of iaedp’s African-American Eating Disorders Professionals Committee (AAEDP), and is a member of the Advisory Board for ANAD.
Dr. Fuller is a Clinical Associate on staff at Counseling and Psychological Services of Duke University. She is an Integrative health coach, a certified member of the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp) and completed the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program through the Duke Integrative Medicine/Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Fuller graduated from Smith College for Social Work in Northampton, MA and completed her clinical training at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. She is a Co-Chair of the African American Eating Disorders Professionals (AAEDP) Committee with Dr. Small, and is a member of the Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) Advisory Board.
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Carolyn Coker Ross, MD, MPH
Dr. Carolyn Coker Ross is a internationally known author, speaker and expert in the field of Eating Disorders, obesity and addictions. She is board certified (by exam) in Addiction Medicine. Dr. Ross has been both a medical director and consultant for a number of eating disorder treatment centers in the United States. Her most recent book is “The Binge Eating and Compulsive Overeating Workbook.” She has two books awaiting publication in 2016 and 2017. Dr. Ross serves as the Director of the Eating Disorder Program at The Recovery Village in Palmer Lake, CO, a facility owned by Advanced Recovery Systems.
