Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41918031›Full record

ArticleJournal of eating disorders2026

Between shame, control, and survival: a grounded theory study of eating disorders among young Chinese women.

Qianhui Tang, Jingying Jiang, Shuhui Fan

Abstract read
In one paragraph

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.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Qianhui TangFaculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Jingying JiangFaculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Shuhui FanFaculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China. fanshuhui@mail.bnu.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEating disorders (EDs) among young Chinese women are shaped by sociocultural norms and moralized expectations around thinness and emotional restraint, yet theory grounded in local experiences remains limited.

methodUsing constructivist grounded theory, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 women with current or past ED experiences. Data were analyzed iteratively (open-focused-theoretical coding) with constant comparison, sending analytic memos, and team debriefing to build an explanatory model.

resultsFour interrelated themes were identified: (1) risk background, including personality traits, adverse developmental experiences, and sociocultural pressures; (2) onset pathways-appearance-driven and emotion-driven routes; (3) maintenance and change processes, shaped by shame, functional reinforcements, and social feedback; and (4) coping strategies, including professional help, social support, and self-directed adjustment. Thinness was moralized as a symbol of discipline and social worth, while shame reinforced secrecy and chronicity. Turning points often arose through autonomy-supportive relationships and growing awareness of harm. DISCUSSION: This study expands existing models by theorizing how EDs are embedded in the Chinese sociocultural context. It highlights the moralized nature of body control and emotional suppression in shaping illness experiences. Clinical implications include the need for shame-sensitive, culturally attuned interventions.

Indexed as

Chinese womenEating disordersEmotional regulationGrounded theoryQualitative researchSociocultural factors

Identifiers

PMID41918031
PMCPMC13162519

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.