Abstract/Description/Artist Statement
Food and alcohol disturbance (FAD) combines dieting behaviors and alcohol use for alcohol enhancement (AE-FAD) or calorie compensation (CC-FAD). Though unclear whether racial differences exist in FAD engagement, research suggests strong ethnic identity protects Black Americans from FAD while strengthening risk in White Americans. Resilience (i.e., the ability to recover from adversity) is positively associated with body image amongst Black women; however, resilience has not been examined in relation to FAD. This study evaluated whether associations between resilience and FAD differed by race amongst college women, hypothesizing that resilience would be negatively associated with AE-FAD and CC-FAD for Black and White women, and that associations would be stronger for Black women. Female college students who engaged in FAD (N=228; Mage=20.73, SDage=2.98; 40.7% Black) completed surveys measuring demographics, resilience, drinking, and FAD. Two regression analyses were conducted, with resilience as a predictor, typical drinking as a covariate, and AE-FAD and CC-FAD as outcomes. After controlling for typical drinking, resilience was unrelated to AE-FAD for Black (p=.225) and White (p=.965) women; resilience was negatively associated with CC-FAD for Black (b=-0.358, p=.005) but not White (p=.815) women. Findings identified resilience as a potential protective factor against CC-FAD for Black women. The negative relationship between resilience and CC-FAD amongst Black women could be related to resilience to thin-body ideals, as Black communities regard bigger bodies more favorably than White communities. Research should examine relationships between body ideals, resilience, ethnic identity, and FAD as they may contextualize racial differences in FAD.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Cathy Lau-Barraco, Ph.D.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Email
cbarraco@odu.edu
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Department
College of Sciences - Psychology
College/School Affiliation
College of Sciences
Student Level Group
Undergraduate
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Included in
An Examination of Resilience and Food and Alcohol Disturbance: How Black & White Women Measure Up
Food and alcohol disturbance (FAD) combines dieting behaviors and alcohol use for alcohol enhancement (AE-FAD) or calorie compensation (CC-FAD). Though unclear whether racial differences exist in FAD engagement, research suggests strong ethnic identity protects Black Americans from FAD while strengthening risk in White Americans. Resilience (i.e., the ability to recover from adversity) is positively associated with body image amongst Black women; however, resilience has not been examined in relation to FAD. This study evaluated whether associations between resilience and FAD differed by race amongst college women, hypothesizing that resilience would be negatively associated with AE-FAD and CC-FAD for Black and White women, and that associations would be stronger for Black women. Female college students who engaged in FAD (N=228; Mage=20.73, SDage=2.98; 40.7% Black) completed surveys measuring demographics, resilience, drinking, and FAD. Two regression analyses were conducted, with resilience as a predictor, typical drinking as a covariate, and AE-FAD and CC-FAD as outcomes. After controlling for typical drinking, resilience was unrelated to AE-FAD for Black (p=.225) and White (p=.965) women; resilience was negatively associated with CC-FAD for Black (b=-0.358, p=.005) but not White (p=.815) women. Findings identified resilience as a potential protective factor against CC-FAD for Black women. The negative relationship between resilience and CC-FAD amongst Black women could be related to resilience to thin-body ideals, as Black communities regard bigger bodies more favorably than White communities. Research should examine relationships between body ideals, resilience, ethnic identity, and FAD as they may contextualize racial differences in FAD.