Relationship Between Environmental Factors and Anorexia Nervosa in Adolescent Girls
Relationship Between Environmental Factors and Anorexia Nervosa in Adolescent Girls
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a visible, psychological illness that is detrimental to both the physical and mental well-being of an individual (Bulik et al., 2005). It is an eating disorder that is characterized by not only an unwillingness to gain weight, but a fear of gaining weight. Individuals suffering from anorexia are often perfectionists, who are neurotic, obsessive, and retain a low sense of self-esteem (Kaye et al., 2008; Bulik et al., 2005). These individuals tend to prioritize their physical image over their health, and as a result, AN has retained the highest mortality rate over any other psychiatric illness, occurring at a prevalence of 5% per decade of the entire human population (Bulik et al., 2005). It has also been observed that the occurrence of anorexia nervosa is significantly greater in the female population when compared to the occurrence in the male population, with the average age of onset starting between 15 and 19 years old (Bulik et al., 2005).
The direct cause of AN is unknown, but through excessive amounts of scientific exploring, many researchers have concluded that anorexia is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, categorizing it as a familial disease (Kaye et al., 2008). This positive correlation between gene-environment is often seen in offspring of parents who previously suffered from AN. They are seen as having a “double disadvantage,” as not only do they inherit the unidentified genes that increase the risk of AN, but they are exposed to an environment which increases the chances of the expression of those genes linked with anorexia (Bulik et al., 2005). This does not necessarily mean that all individuals who suffer from this eating disorder are predisposed to having AN, as the influence of environmental factors are much greater than that of genetic influence.
In the study done by Peterson, Paulson & Williams (2007), they
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a visible, psychological illness that is detrimental to both the physical and mental well-being of an individual (Bulik et al., 2005). It is an eating disorder that is characterized by not only an unwillingness to gain weight, but a fear of gaining weight. Individuals suffering from anorexia are often perfectionists, who are neurotic, obsessive, and retain a low sense of self-esteem (Kaye et al., 2008; Bulik et al., 2005). These individuals tend to prioritize their physical image over their health, and as a result, AN has retained the highest mortality rate over any other psychiatric illness, occurring at a prevalence of 5% per decade of the entire human population (Bulik et al., 2005). It has also been observed that the occurrence of anorexia nervosa is significantly greater in the female population when compared to the occurrence in the male population, with the average age of onset starting between 15 and 19 years old (Bulik et al., 2005).
The direct cause of AN is unknown, but through excessive amounts of scientific exploring, many researchers have concluded that anorexia is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, categorizing it as a familial disease (Kaye et al., 2008). This positive correlation between gene-environment is often seen in offspring of parents who previously suffered from AN. They are seen as having a “double disadvantage,” as not only do they inherit the unidentified genes that increase the risk of AN, but they are exposed to an environment which increases the chances of the expression of those genes linked with anorexia (Bulik et al., 2005). This does not necessarily mean that all individuals who suffer from this eating disorder are predisposed to having AN, as the influence of environmental factors are much greater than that of genetic influence.
In the study done by Peterson, Paulson & Williams (2007), they
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