Risk Factors for Anorexia Nervosa among Adolescents in the United States

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Risk Factors for Anorexia Nervosa among Adolescents in the United States
Introduction
There are a number of psychological eating disorders that affect adolescents in the United States and all over the world. One of such disorders is Anorexia Nervosa, where the adolescent refrains from eating for fear of becoming ‘fat.’ Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by the refusal to maintain one’s body weight above the normal minimum weight. Anorexia Nervosa primarily affects adolescent females but can also affect adolescent males. The essay will look into two articles that research the risk factors for Anorexia Nervosa. The first article by Cella et al. researches the risk factors that facilitate binge eating among adolescents, both girls and boys. It suggests that faulty child-to-parent relationships in a child’s early life may lead to eating disorders. The second article by Nagata et al. looks into differing risk factors for eating disorders and unsafe weight control measures through the lens of sex and weight. The study concludes that eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, may differ based on weight and sex.
Cella et al. suggest that parent-to-child bonds, reduced self-esteem, lack of emotional intelligence, and eating habits are highly related to binge eating among adolescents. The sample used in the research involved 973 between ages twelve and sixteen. They were assessed through self-reporting to check for factors such as child to parent bonds, self-esteem level, lack of emotional intelligence, eating habits, and severity of binge eating. The research found that the quality of child-to-parent bonds contributes to eating disorders. The research was right as a child’s state of mind or psychological status contributes to the secretion of hormones such as appetite-stimulating hormones, feel-good hormones, stress hormones, and others. To solve the issue of anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders, treatment modalities should stress improving self-esteem and emphasize regulating emotions (Cella et al.).
Eating disorders arise from a series of occurrences from childhood experiences. Where there is quality and practical child to parent bonding, the adolescent is likely to have good self-esteem. When the self-esteem is healthy, adolescents are likely to have emotional intelligence, reflecting on their eating habits and psychological perception of nutrition and health. On the other hand, when there are poor child-to-parent bonds, adolescents are most likely to suffer from low self-esteem, poor emotional regulation, and eating disorders.
Nagata et al. aim to establish whether factors associ...