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| Articles By Cris Haltom, Ph.D. |
IN THIS ISSUE: I. Boys and men suffer from eating disorders too. II. Differences between males and females with eating disorders. III. Tips for parents about how to help their sons with disordered eating. In 1999, I attended a conference at which Arnold Anderson presented his treatment model for males with eating disorders. At the same conference Craig Johnson, Ph.D., presented the results of his research on eating disorders in male and female athletes. I came away with a clear sense that there is a growing, cohesive body of knowledge about men with eating, weight and and body image problems. Watch for a new book by Gurze Press published in 2000 called Making Weight: Healing Men's Conflicts with Food, Weight and Shape by Andersen, Holbrook and Cohn. Johnson et al (1999) studied 1,445 student athletes from 11 Division I colleges. He found that 13.02% of the males binged once or more times per week. And 2.04% of the males purged weekly by vomiting, using laxatives,or diuretics. He also found that male football players were more dissatisfied with their bodies than male track athletes, gymnasts, and cross-country runners. Moving away from athletes for a moment to the general population, it appears that a little over 2% of adolescent boys may have eating disorders. About one in ten to one in six people with eating disorders are males. When it comes to social pressures to be "lean and mean" young men succumb to the same social pressures as women. However, there are some IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MALES AND FEMALES with disordered eating: 1. Anderson points out that men are concerned with their body image from the "waist up" and women are more concerned from the "waist down." Men want sculpted chests, arms and shoulders. They want smaller, well-defined stomachs. Women want smaller hips and thighs. 2. Men are more likely to conceal their disordered eating. 3. Andersen reported that boys tend to develop eating disorders, on the average, at an older age (ave. 19.6 years) than women (ave. 16.7 years). 4. Young men with eating disorders are more concerned with "flab" and body sculpting and women are more concerned with the number of pounds they weigh and their clothing size. 5. Men with disordered eating seem to be more likely to diet because they are frightened of future medical problems attributed to being overweight. 6. Boys grow up with as many concerns about being too thin and short as they do about being too fat. Girls grow up mostly having concerns about being too large. 7. Although testosterone does decrease in males with eating disorders, especially anorexia, there is no clear marker of hormonal dysfunction like there is with females. Women with anorexia or excessive exercise problems develop amenorrhea or loss of menses. 8. In the gay male community it appears that body image is often more important for being attractive than it is in the lesbian community. 9. Boys with eating problems seem to have more gender conflicts. Male anorexics seem to have anxieties about masculinity and athletic performance. 10. Boys seem to have more of a history of being overweight than girls. TIPS FOR PARENTS: Given what we know about males with eating disorders, what can you, as the parent of a young man with disordered eating, do to help? Here are some brief tips: 1. TEACH BODY ACCEPTANCE: Underscore with your son the negative social pressures that the media places on males to be buff and sculpted. Help you child understand that acceptance of natural body shape is important, even if it means having a culturally disapproved weight or shape. 2. RAISE YOUR SON'S CONSCIOUSNESS ABOUT MEDIA PRESSURES: Your son probably grew up with toys that included male action figures (e.g., Star Wars or GI Joe). Point out to your son that Luke, Hans, GI Joe and many of the most popular action figures have grown significantly more muscular over time. Research by Pope et al has shown that recent toy action figures exceed the muscularity of even the largest, real-life bodybuilders. Your son will benefit from knowing that he has been exposed to unrealistic cultural expectations to acquire the physique and musculature of superhumans. Faced with these pressures, many American boys may be increasingly predisposed to disordered body image and eating problems. 3. TALK ABOUT FEELINGS: Encourage your son to express feelings. Most men and women with eating disorders struggle with expressing their emotions. Show empathy for your son and demonstrate good listening skills. Fathers and male mentors are particularly helpful here. They can help break down the stereotype that intimacy and emotional expression are unmasculine. 4. GIVE SOLID INFORMATION ABOUT EATING DISORDERS: Men often have less information and more distorted information about eating disorders. As a parent you can educate yourself about eating disorders in general and especially in men. Then when you discuss your son's eating disorder with him you can encourage his raised consciousness and increased knowledge about his disordered eating issues. 5. TALK ABOUT YOUR SON'S EATING DISORDER: Don't be afraid to talk about the eating disorder with your son. It is an illness just like any other. It may be more embarrassing to your son than many other illnesses but your tactful frankness can be a help. 6. WHEN DAD HAS HAD AN ILLNESS: If your son's father has had a serious medical illness or is at risk for one, and diet is a factor, your son may be at risk for defensive dieting to avoid the same illnesses. Minimize parental alarm and fearfullness about diet prohibitions related to medical illness. 7. BE A COMMUNITY ADVOCATE: Over the past fifteen years, men seem to be increasingly likely to use treatment services when they do have an eating disorder. It may be this is because publicity about disordered eating in males and related treatment has increased. You can help by asking your local mental health or other health association to discuss eating disorders in males in their regular newsletters or local newspaper columns. 8. ENCOURAGE TREATMENT: Because there is a tendency for boys to minimize or avoid their eating problems, you, as the parent, may be the catalyst for treatment. Educate yourself about eating and body image problems in males. Think through a possible confrontation with your son. He needs to face his eating disorder and get treatment. How can you influence your son? When you confront your son use "I" statements. Talk about specific concerns and observations of his disordered eating and body preoccupation. Don't walk on eggshells because you are afraid of your son's anger. Expect defensiveness. Find out about treatment options and suggest treatment. Listen, empathetically, to your son's responses to you. IN SUMMARY, sons and daughters with eating disorders often face the same issues. Yet there are important gender differences in the development and nature of eating disorders. As a parent you can familiarize yourself with emerging information about the special nature and treatment of disordered eating in boys and men. Create a family team approach to your son's recovery by being equipped to help him.
REFERENCES: Pope, H.G., Olivardia, R., Gruber, A., and Borowiecki, J. (1999) Evolving Ideals of Male Body Image as Seen Through Action Toys. International J. of Eating Disorders: Vol 26, No. 1, pp. 65-72. Anderson, A E. (Ed.) Males with Eating Disorder, Brunner/Mazel, Inc. 1990 Braun, D. L et al (1999) More Males Seek treatment for Eating Disorders. International Journal for Eating Disorders. Vol 25, No. 4, pp. 416-424.
Educational Coaching for Parents of Children with Anorexia. |
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