ArticleJournal of eating disorders2026
A mixed-methods study of body esteem, disordered eating behaviors, acculturative stress, and sociocultural correlates among female Chinese international students.
Article in Journal of eating disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundGlobal migration has heightened the need to understand how cultural transitions influence body image and eating behaviors. In the U.S., Chinese international students represent one of the largest migrant student groups, with women showing particular vulnerability to body image concerns and disordered eating. Yet, the ways in which cultural transition and acculturative stress shape these outcomes remain insufficiently studied.
methodsThis study investigated female Chinese international students using online surveys with free-response questions administered during researcher-supervised video sessions prior to their migration to the U.S. for college (n = 127) and again six months after arrival (n = 113; 89% retention).
resultsAcross time, participants reported lower body esteem, higher emotional eating, and higher BMI, while perceived sociocultural pressures from different sources and internalization of different body ideals remained stable. Acculturative stress was associated with greater muscular-ideal internalization, lower body esteem, and higher uncontrolled eating at follow-up, even after accounting for pre-migration levels. Qualitative analyses provided additional context, with participants describing shifts toward muscular/fit ideals in the U.S. that shaped body image concerns, dissatisfaction with food environments that fueled eating concerns, and other experiences influencing body image and eating behaviors.
conclusionsBy integrating quantitative and qualitative evidence, this study contributes to the limited research on international migrants and underscores the associations between acculturation experiences, acculturative stress, body image, and eating. Findings highlight food environments and cultural ideals as complex factors within acculturation and tripartite influence models and point to actionable strategies for policies and interventions supporting international students during cultural transition.
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