Perfection as acculturation: Psychological correlates of eating problems in Chinese male and female students living in the United States

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between acculturation, self-esteem, depression, and characteristics associated with eating disorders among Chinese university students in the United States. Method: A self-report questionnaire which included an acculturation scale (SL-ASIA) Center fdr Epidemiologic Studies of Depression (CES-D) Index of Self Esteem (ISE) and the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI) was administered to 197 Chinese university students in the United States (93 females and 104 males). Results: Highly acculturated females reported significantly higher EDI total scores, more maturity fears, and a greater sense of ineffectiveness. Males who were less acculturated also reported high ineffectiveness while high male scores on acculturation were associated with greater perfectionism. Overall, females reported more body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness, and respondents with high acculturation reported more perfectionism and interoceptive awareness. Discussion: The impact of perfecting onself or one's body as a means of acculturating is discussed along with potential gender differences in perceived efficacy in a new culture. (C) 1999 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.