Bound by the binary: A socio-psychological exploratory investigation of how gender norms influence perceptions of self-damaging behaviour

An Honours thesis by Lina Losier, co-supervised by Julie Prud’homme, MSc, and Brianna Turner, PhD

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Background:

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and disordered eating (DE) share similar theoretical functions, suggesting that common factors may contribute to these behaviours. This study investigated how binary gender norms

impact perceptions of people engaging in NSSI and DE in young adults using validated experimental vignettes. The primary research objective was to explore how the gender-stereotyped presentation of self-damaging behaviours (SDB) and the gender of the protagonist (described as either “she/her” or “he/him”) affects negative attitudes and perceptions of mental illness.

Objective 1a. How do one’s gender and the type of SDB they engage in influence how likely others are to perceive their SDB as a mental illness?

Objective 1b. Do people’s perceptions of the SDB as mental illness differ based on whether a person’s gender and type of SDB align with gender-based expectations?

Objective 2a. How do one’s gender and the type of SDB they engage in influence how others perceive them?

Objective 2b. Do people’s perceptions of the person engaging in the SDB differ based on whether a person’s gender and type of SDB align with gender-based expectations?

Method:

395 University of Victoria students from the SONA system participated in the study. Participants read four vignettes depicting feminized NSSI (self-cutting), masculinized NSSI (wall punching), feminized DE (calorie restriction), and masculinized DE (rigid protein consumption). Participants were randomly assigned to one of two pronoun conditions (she/her vs he/him). The study used the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-27) to evaluate negative attitudes and a one-item Likert scale to measure participants’ perceptions of mental illness.

Materials

Vignettes used as experimental stimulus (she/her pronouns example):

Vignette A: Charlie does not recall the last day she went without tracking her “macros” (i.e., carbs, proteins, fat). Every meal she eats is protein-rich to maximize muscle growth for weightlifting, and she eats even when she is already full to ensure she hits her macros consistently.

Vignette B: Following a fight with her partner, Taylor goes to the bathroom and cuts herself on her thigh with a razor. Later, when she thinks about the fight, she cuts her forearm with the same razor.

Vignette C: Morgan thinks about food and her body a lot and consistently tracks her calories, weight and how her body looks. She only eats low-fat, low-carb foods, and tries to eat as little as possible. Morgan intentionally stops eating before she feels full to make sure that she is not consuming too many calories.

Vignette D: After finding out that she failed a midterm, Bailey punches her bedroom wall as hard as possible until her knuckles bleed. Later, when she is reminded of her failing grade, she punches the wall again.

Sample of measure used to investigate Research Objective 1:

Do Morgans behaviours suggest she is experiencing mental illness?

• Extremely unlikely
• Somewhat unlikely
• Neither likely nor unlikely
• Somewhat likely
• Extremely likely

Sample of measure used to investigate Research Objective 2:

Thinking about Morgan…do you think or feel….

• • I would feel aggravated by Morgan and her behaviours.

1 – not at all 9 – very much

• • I would feel unsafe around Morgan.

1 – not at all 9 – very much

• • I think Morgan’s behaviours pose a risk to the people around her unless she is hospitalized.

1 – not at all 9 – very much

• • How likely is it that you would help Morgan with her behaviours?

1- not at all 9 – very much

Results:

Objective 2

Significance:

The study aims to increase awareness and reduce stigma around SDB while exploring how gender influences the recognition and perception of the severity of SDB.

 

Research Poster & Results

Presented at the UVic Making Waves Conference

 

References

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[9] Schoen, E., Brock, R., & Hannon, J. (2019). Gender bias, other specified and unspecified feeding and eating disorders, and college students: A vignette study. Eating Disorders, 27(3), 291–304. https://doi.org/10.1080/10640266.2018.1504536

[10] Turner, B. J., Layden, B. K., Butler, S. M., & Chapman, A. L. (2013). How of ten, or how many ways: Clarifying the relationship between nonsuicidal self-injury and suicide. Archives of Suicide Research, 17(4), 397–415. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2013.802660

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