ABSTRACT
While a range of studies have shown the negative impact of COVID-19 on disordered eating and body image, few have engaged with how identity and social context interact with these domains. The current study used inductive codebook thematic analysis to understand experiences of body and eating during the pandemic among a diverse (sub)clinical sample of individuals with self-reported disordered eating. We interviewed 31 cisgender participants (18/31 Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC), 24/31 women) with a history of disordered eating (diagnosed and undiagnosed). Five themes were identified: Body Surveillance and Dissatisfaction, Movement and Intake Fixation, Food Scarcity and Resource Concerns, Changes in Visibility of Body and Eating, and Bodies Are Vulnerable. We examined the extent to which themes pertained to certain identities over others. Notably, BIPOC, large-bodied, queer participants more commonly spoke to body vulnerability than White, small/medium-bodied, straight participants. BIPOC and large-bodied participants also particularly spoke to feeling relief from discrimination as social distancing and mask wearing reduced their public visibility. Participants related these themes to changed body and eating experiences that spanned distress and resilience. Our analysis offers insight into multifaceted and contextual impacts of COVID-19 on experiences of body, eating, and identity.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Feeding and Eating Disorders , Body Image/psychology , Feeding and Eating Disorders/complications , Female , Gender Identity , Humans , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
The collective trauma of COVID-19 has had a negative impact on people's experiences of their bodies and eating, as demonstrated by studies showing increased disordered eating and body dissatisfaction during this time. The pandemic has also been shown to have had a unique and disproportionate impact on transgender and gender nonbinary (TGNB) individuals (e.g., lost gender affirming care access, elevated levels of job loss). Given that TGNB individuals already face increased risk of body distress and disordered eating compared to cisgender individuals in a nonpandemic context and have been disproportionately impacted by contextual changes with COVID-19, it is likely that the pandemic has had a distinct impact on TGNB individuals' experiences of body and eating distress. The present study aims to understand these impacts through an inductive, reflexive thematic qualitative approach. Participants were 13 TGNB individuals (10/13 gender nonbinary/gender queer;8/13 White). They completed semistructured audio interviews about their broad experiences of body and eating during COVID-19, as well as how they understood changes across domains of family, community, access to resources, and intersectional identities interacting with these experiences. Themes included (a) Losing Affirming Spaces and Security, (b) Gaining Affirming and Supportive Spaces Online, (c) Reflecting on Embodied Gender and Identities, (d) Realizing New Connections and Insights, and (e) Considering the Self in Social Context. Notably, each of these themes interacted with participants' self-reported experiences of body and eating distress and, in some cases, healing. Our results illuminate risk and resilience factors and areas requiring innovation during and after COVID-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement The current study highlights complex impacts of COVID-19 on Transgender and Nonbinary (TGNB) individuals' experiences of body and eating distress. Most participants reported increased disordered eating during COVID-19, tying these struggles to lost affirming community and financial security and increased time alone noticing gender dysphoria. Some participants reported improved disordered eating corresponding to finding affirming online spaces. Many also found time to reflect on and, in some cases, realize gender. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)