Determinants of Disordered Eating Patterns among an LGTBQ Community in Lebanon

Abstract

It has been previously established that sexual minorities are more likely to suffer from mental health illnesses due to experiencing unique stressors such as fear, anxiety, stigma, harassment, and prejudice. A noteworthy mental health illness reported by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer are eating disorders. However, little to no research has been done on the symptoms and attitudes of eating disorders among sexual minorities, especially in Lebanon. Therefore, this cross-sectional observational study based in Lebanon that aims at investigating the relationship between sexual orientation and gender identity with disordered eating behaviors. Additionally, the correlation between several determinants of disordered eating behaviors among LGBTQ have been examined such as body image dissatisfaction, fear of negative evaluation, generalized anxiety, social support, and harassment levels. The study data was collected through an online survey comprised of 94 questions falling under various verified questionnaires among sexual and gender minorities. The final sample size of the study population was n=358. The primary outcome of the study is the global score of the eating disorder examination questionnaire (EDE-Q6.0). Generally, the LBGTQ population in this study scored higher than cisgender and heterosexual individuals for the mean and global scores of the EDE-Q, indicating an increased risk for disordered eating behaviors and attitudes. Specifically, the mean score of the shape and weight concerns marked the highest among the LGBTQ sample population. Moreover, only body appreciation, generalized anxiety and fear of negative evaluation scales were significantly associated with disordered eating behaviors among different sexual orientation and gender identity individuals. Since sexual minorities are more likely to experience stressors that might directly or indirectly affect their mental health, remarkably eating disorders and their respective symptoms, it is very important that health professionals working with such vulnerable populations meticulously assess for disordered eating behaviors and better communicate with them. In conclusion, the present results highlight important questions about disordered eating behaviors among LGBTQ communities and call for further comprehensive and extensive research studies on that matter.