The role of socio-cultural factors in the course of anorexia nervosa: a case of anorexia nervosa in a Chinese-American adolescent

Abstract

With the realization of eating disorders outside of westernized societies, it is clear that body image and western cultural ideals are not the only etiologies for anorexia nervosa across cultures. Using a retrospective chart review of a single medical record, a case study is presented to illustrate that eating disorders are context-bound with multiple factors playing a role in the pervasive existence of anorexia nervosa among various societies and cultures. As the existence of eating disorders across diverse cultures continues to be identified and recognized, it is necessary to consider family, developmental, social and cultural factors in order to accurately formulate and effectively treat anorexia nervosa.

Keywords:

• anorexia nervosa
• cultural
• socialization
• Asian

Notes on contributors

Selene Luk, D.O. is an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Hawai'i John A. Burns School of Medicine where she is the psychiatry outpatient services Director of Medical Education and Patient Care for Queen's Medical Center. A graduate of the University of California Berkeley and Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine, she completed her general psychiatry residency in Hawai'i and her child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at the University of California San Francisco.

Ruby Agoha, M.D. is an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Hawai'i John A. Burns School of Medicine where she works with the Child and Adolescent Telepsychiatry Clinic. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the Upstate Medical University, she completed the Triple Board Residency Program (combining Pediatrics, General Psychiatry, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) in Hawai'i. Her research interest are in the areas of Telepsychiatry, Youth Violence, and Primary Care/Behavioral Health integration.