In three studies we examined whether four social identity characteristics (gender, race, age, and socioeconomic status) affect perceived risk of disorder development for eating and mood relevant behaviors. Women and girls are at greater risk of developing an eating disorder than men and boys. However, because the race of Black women and girls does not fit the prototypical image of a person with an eating disorder (ED), we hypothesized ED-related behaviors would be perceived as less concerning for them. Study 1 demonstrated robust stereotypes along all four identity dimensions (gender, race, age, and socioeconomic status) for perceived ED prevalence, and weaker stereotypes for depressive and anxiety disorders. In Study 2, identical ED-related behaviors were interpreted as riskier and less healthy when performed by a female or White target, relative to a male or Black target. Identity dimensions did not affect risk judgments for mood disorder behaviors. Study 3 replicated and extended these results. These findings suggest Black women and girls are at a disadvantage in the early identification of risk factors associated with ED development. This work responds to the call for culturally sensitive research on the effects of diverse identities on detecting and addressing body image problems and eating disorders.

在三项研究中，我们研究了四种社会身份特征（性别、种族、年龄和社会经济地位）是否会影响饮食和情绪相关行为的紊乱发展风险。与男性和男孩相比，女性和女孩患饮食失调的风险更大。然而，由于黑人妇女和女孩的种族不符合饮食失调 (ED) 患者的典型形象，我们假设与 ED 相关的行为对她们来说不那么重要。研究 1 证明了在所有四个身份维度（性别、种族、年龄和社会经济地位）上对 ED 患病率的强烈刻板印象，以及对抑郁症和焦虑症的较弱刻板印象。在研究 2 中，与男性或黑人目标相比，女性或白人目标执行相同的 ED 相关行为时，被认为风险更大、健康状况更差。身份维度不影​​响情绪障碍行为的风险判断。研究 3 复制并扩展了这些结果。这些发现表明，黑人妇女和女孩在早期识别与 ED 发展相关的危险因素方面处于不利地位。这项工作响应了对文化敏感的研究的呼吁，研究不同身份对检测和解决身体形象问题和饮食失调的影响。