Holy anorexia: Eating disorders symptomatology and religiosity among Muslim women in the United Arab Emirates

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Psychiatry Research

Publication Date

2-1-2018

Abstract

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. There is a substantial body of literature reporting a negative association between religiosity and psychiatric symptoms. In the context of eating disorders, however, this relationship appears to be reversed. The few studies exploring the relationship between religiosity and eating disorders have mostly focused on the Judeo-Christian religious traditions in Western nations. The present study examines this relationship among Muslim college women from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). All participants (N = 1069) independently completed the religious commitment inventory (RCI-10) and the eating attitudes test (EAT-26). As hypothesised, there was a positive association between religiosity and eating disorders symptoms. Furthermore, those scoring above the EAT-26 cut-off reported significantly greater levels of religiosity. These findings suggest that heightened religiosity among young Emirati women may represent a vulnerability factor for eating disorders. Preventative initiatives in the UAE should consider focusing on religiosity.

ISSN

0165-1781

Publisher

Elsevier Ireland Ltd

Volume

260

First Page

495

Last Page

499

Disciplines

Life Sciences

Keywords

Eating disorder, Muslim, Religion, United Arab Emirates

Scopus ID

85039738361

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

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