Dating Violence Self Silencing And Disordered Eating Among College Women

Author : Sarah Helenka Shouse
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 252 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (664 download)

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Download or read book Self-silencing, Eating Behaviors, and Relationship Satisfaction in African-American and White College Women written by Sarah Helenka Shouse and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The suppression of expressing one's thoughts, feelings, and needs, or self-silencing, appears to have impact on the mental health of women (Jack, 1991 ; Jack & Dill, 1992) This study was based on feminist developmental theory and examined self-silencing in its relationships with eating behaviors and relationship satisfaction through the influence of moderating and mediating variables. Using a sample of African-American and White college women, individual and cultural differences were examined as possible factors that may protect from the negative impact of suppressing one's voice. Additionally, this study examined how emotional awareness and control influence the relationship between self-silencing and eating behaviors, and between self-silencing and relationship satisfaction. More similarities than differences were found between African-American and White women. Both groups reported relatively equal amounts of self-silencing behavior and this act correlated with eating behaviors and relationship satisfaction. Specifically, the women who engaged in higher levels of self-silencing reported more disordered eating behaviors, the less intuitive eating, and less relationship satisfaction. However, the relationship between self-silencing and disordered eating in African-American women was tentative. The results further showed that high-levels of self-silencing impede women's ability to eat intuitively. When women voiced their thoughts, feelings, and needs, they were more likely to engage in healthy eating behaviors. Researchers have recognized the importance of identifying predictors of intuitive eating, as this construct is more than just the absence of disordered eating (Tylka, 2006). Additionally, emotional awareness helped to explain intuitive eating behaviors, accounting for a unique amount of the variance of women's reported levels of this construct. An interaction between self-silencing and emotional awareness was found, suggesting that the expression of their subjective experiences was more important when women have clarity and insight into affective states, as the interaction of these variable detracted from positive eating behaviors. Implications for the finding were discussed.