Examining multidimensional risk factors for all populations affected by eating disorders

Decades of studies conducted on eating disorders have given researchers a better understanding of the risk factors of eating disorders. Nevertheless, the complexity of eating disorders results in studies only being able to test a limited sample population, making it difficult to generalize results to the general public. Research must also actively investigate the effect of ongoing technological advancements that have transformed the way people interact with one another on the development of eating disorders. The current study used a literature review style approach to address these current limitations in eating disorder research by analyzing all populations that are affected by eating disorders and the involved risk factors. The research question that this study sought to answer was why only a certain group of individuals develop eating disorders when the entire population is exposed to risk factors. The main hypothesis of this study was whether the internalization of an ideal body style different from the one that an individually currently had while using maladaptive ways to achieve this ideal body image was sufficient to developing an eating disorder. The results supported the hypothesis, as the common theme among all sample populations was that the idealized body style, shape, and size was simply different from the one that individuals currently had. The extent to which this different body style was internalized as well as the extent to which maladaptive measures were taken to achieve this ideal body image was associated with increased vulnerability and likelihood of developing an eating disorder.