An exploration of generational status and enculturation as putative protective factors for disordered eating behaviors and cognitions among college students

Youth from immigrant families navigate multiple cultures concurrently, and culture largely influences how disordered eating behaviors and cognitions (DEBC) present. Enculturation (i.e., maintaining one's heritage traditions, values, beliefs, etc. while living within the dominant culture) may – in contrast to acculturation – function as a protective factor against DEBC and body-image issues. Considering eating disorders' deleterious outcomes, understanding whether enculturation can be leveraged to protect against DEBC is important; however, there is a dearth of research in this area. To address this gap, associations among generational status, enculturation, and DEBC (assessed by the Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory (EPSI)) were investigated in 467 college students using analysis of covariance and multiple linear regression models. Enculturation and generational status were associated as hypothesized, but positively, which was contrary to hypotheses. Generational status and enculturation did not individually influence DEBC, but generational status moderated the relationship between enculturation and Negative Attitudes toward Obesity, an EPSI subscale. Among the first-generation group, enculturation was positively associated with Negative Attitudes toward Obesity while for the third- and fourth-generation groups, enculturation was negatively associated with Negative Attitudes toward Obesity. The association between generational status, enculturation, and DEBC is nuanced and complex, but certain aspects of DEBC may be particularly important factors for first-generation individuals. Future research should investigate these relationships within specific cultural, racial, and ethnic groups and among non-college populations.