The Impact of Discrimination and Microaggressions on Binge Eating Behaviors Among Black Women: A new framework of the development and maintenance of binge eating

Background Dietary restraint, emotion dysregulation, and perceived stress are significant predictors of binge eating (BE) behavior. Limited research, however, has evaluated unique lived experiences that might contribute to BE in Black women living in the United States, which is problematic because Black women report the highest rates of BE behaviors across all racial and ethnic groups. One factor unique to Black women includes experiences with discrimination and microaggressions, both of which are a distinct form of stress. Therefore, the current study examined the relationship of experiences with discrimination and microaggressions and BE behaviors. Methods A total of 197 Black women were recruited through snowball sampling and completed the self-report questionnaires. Participants completed self-report measures assessing eating behavior, emotion dysregulation, perceived stress, and experiences with discrimination and microaggressions. Results Separate multiple regression analyses indicated that experiences with discrimination and microaggressions predicted BE behaviors above and beyond dietary restraint, emotion dysregulation, and perceived stress. Conclusion Experiences with discrimination and microaggressions predicted BE behavior above and beyond well-established causal and maintaining factors. Future research and clinical work should better assess and integrate the experiences of Black women to improve both the understanding of and treatment for BE among Black women.