Vaughn and Low (2020) explored the stigma associated with bulimia nervosa (BN) in males across the adolescent development period to better understand the specific conditions contributing to male eating disorder treatment avoidance. University students were presented with a vignette of a fictional male, Jared, whose theoretical ages ranged from 12 to 24, and asked how responsible Jared, his mother, and his father were for the development and treatment for his disorder. Results indicated that as Jared aged, blame for BN onset was attributed more towards Jared than either of his parents, but perception of symptom controllability did not change across ages. Jared’s mother assumed most responsibility for illness onset and treatment seeking regardless of age. Female caregivers being solely responsible for their child’s eating disorder feeds into the stigmatization of gender in eating disorders, which can cause males to avoid treatment or withdraw prematurely from treatment programs. Therefore, Vaughn and Low (2020) recommend implementing interventions to decrease the gender stigma surrounding eating disorders, and to reduce the amount of blame placed on parents and the sufferer themselves (Vaughn & Low, 2020).
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