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Eating Disorders

High Prevalence of In-Person and Technological Sexual Violence Among Women with Eating Disorders

(PS6-B38) High Prevalence of In-person and Technological Sexual Violence Among Women with Eating Disorders

Friday, November 17, 2023

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM PST

Location: Regency Ballroom, Level 7

Author(s)

Emma A. Albertino, B.S.

Graduate Student
Appalachian State University
Taylorsville, North Carolina

Co-Author(s)

Denise M. Martz, Ph.D.

Professor
Appalachian State University
Boone, North Carolina
LC

Lisa Curtin, Ph.D.

Clinical Psychology Psy.D. Program Director & Director of Clinical Training
Appalachian State University
Boone, North Carolina
TW

Twila Wingrove, Ph.D.

Experimental Psychology MA Program Director & Research Design & Analysis Director
Appalachian State University
Boone, North Carolina

Sexual violence and eating disorders disproportionately impact young women. Extant literature documents negative mental health outcomes associated with sexual violence – including eating disorders. While sexual violence occurring in person (ISV) has been studied for some time, sexual violence occurring through technology (TSV) is much newer and less researched. This study explored the relationship between eating disorders and sexual violence by recruiting young women – who reported current eating disordered behaviors - and asked them to report their sexual violence victimization history. They were also asked when each sexual violence event occurred in the development of their eating disorder (i.e., before, during, after). Young adult women (N = 145) were paid participants from Prolific. They identified as White (54%), Asian (12%), Bi-racial (12%), Black (9%), or Hispanic (11%), and 55% identified as heterosexual, bisexual (25%), lesbian (9%), pansexual (3%), queer (2%), or other (4%). Most of these women had experienced sexual violence (91.7%). Some experienced “Only ISV” (11.0%) or “Only TSV” (6.9%), yet most had experienced “Both ISV & TSV” (73.8%). A polyvictimization metric (i.e., counts of different types of ISV & TSV) was correlated with the EDE-Q-13 - a measure of eating disordered behavior severity. The EDE-Q-13 and ISV Polyvictimization were related (r = 0.293, p < .001) and EDE-Q-13 and TSV Polyvictimization were related (r = 0.295, p < .001). Linear regression showed ISV Polyvictimization (b = 0.190, t = 2.03, p = 0.044) and TSV Polyvictimization (b = 0.194, t = 2.07, p = 0.040) were both significant, positive predictors of the EDE-Q-13 outcome variable. When examining “Only ISV,” “Only TSV,” and “Both ISV & TSV” occurrences as independent variables of EDE-Q-13 in an ANOVA, a statistically significant difference existed, F (3, 22.5) = 5.39, p = 0.006. Post hoc analyses displayed a significant difference (MD = -0.988, p = 0.014) between “Only TSV” mean (M = 1.61, SD = 0.826) and “Both ISV & TSV” mean (M = 2.60, SD = 0.981). This study documents the robust prevalence of sexual violence, both in person (ISV) and technological (TSV), among women with eating disordered behaviors, as well as more eating disordered severity among women who experienced multiple types of sexual violence (polyvictimization). Given the rise in technology and increased eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a timely study with implications for prevention and treatment of eating disorders using trauma-informed approaches.