| Prevalence rates for eating disorders have been steadily increasing in the United States. Although adolescent girls and young adult women are more likely to develop and suffer from eating disorders than older women, women of all ages are at risk. However, adult women may experience subclinical levels of eating disorders or engage in disordered eating and weight management behavior (DB). Previous investigations have primarily focused on adolescent girls and young adult women; therefore, this investigation was created in order to further understand the presentation of DB in adult women. This investigator hypothesized that high achieving adult women may be at an elevated risk of engaging in DB. Working mothers often experience high levels of stress from attending to their dual roles, which places them at elevated risk of engaging in maladaptive coping mechanisms and suffering from psychological distress. A qualitative research approach was used in this study to understand high-achieving adult women's feelings of satisfaction with their roles as mothers and professionals as well as with their body images and lives. Eighteen women between the ages of 30 and 48 completed semi-structured surveys inquiring about motherhood, achievement, success, and body image. Data analyses indicate that 10 major themes exist in the participants' responses: weight management, body image, family, achievement, emotions, thoughts, behavior, control, perfection, self, and other. Results indicate that although all of the participants reported experiencing negative body images and stress, most of them reported feeling satisfied with their lives and did not report engaging in DB. This population appears to set excessively high goals and expectations for themselves, which often makes them feel disappointed in themselves when they believe they have not succeeded. Hypotheses about the results of this investigation as well as a discussion of the study's limitations are provided in the discussion section of this report. |
