Investigating the impact of causal attributions on anorexia nervosa stigma

Stigmatisation of eating disorders can have debilitating consequences for individuals experiencing such conditions, such as reduced help-seeking and physical and mental deterioration. Dispositional attribution of blame appears to be central to this stigmatisation. Currently, it remains unclear as to whether precise aspects of blame, such as control over and responsibility for the disorder, specifically contribute to these negative dispositional attributions. So, the current study sought to explore causal attribution patterns towards individuals with AN among an adult population. One-hundred and forty-six participants (M = 36.52 years; SD = 14.45; 118 female) completed an online survey where they were initially randomly assigned to read either a blameworthy (n = 61) or unblameworthy (n = 85) vignette describing a fictional character with AN. Following this, participants completed two self-report inventories (Causal Attribution Scale and Eating Disorder Stigma Scale) measuring their causal attributions and stigma levels regarding the character. Mann–Whitney U tests were completed to evaluate attitudinal differences across groups. Participants in the blameworthy condition significantly attributed more control over the illness to the AN character and held greater mean levels of stigma than participants in the unblameworthy condition. No significant differences were found between conditions for attributions of responsibility and blame. Finally, total causal attribution scores significantly predicted total stigma scores. The findings indicate that stigma towards those with AN may result in part from negative attitudes where individuals experiencing AN are viewed as being in control of their condition. Erroneous attribution of dispositional control can influence interpretations of the cause of AN and trigger inappropriate behavioural responses such as stigmatisation, which can have serious consequences for help-seeking in those with AN. Responsibility-based attributions demonstrated less influence on stigma levels. People with anorexia nervosa (AN), an eating disorder that can be debilitating and lifelong, often experience stigma (i.e., negative labelling or stereotyping) within the community. Stigma can take the form of blame where the individual is accused of being responsible for their illness or of having control over their eating habits. Yet, little is understood about whether there are aspects of blame that influence the level of stigma held towards individuals experiencing AN more than others. So, this study sought to understand how perceptions of control, responsibility, and blame affect levels of stigma held by the public towards a character with AN. The findings show that participants who viewed the individual as having control over their disorder demonstrated more stigmatising attitudes than individuals who perceived the individual as having less control over their illness. Overall, blameworthy information, whereby the individual with AN has control over and/or is to blame for their AN condition, augments stigmatisation towards those individuals. Understanding the impact of these perceptions may be the first step towards developing programs to dismantle the stigma surrounding AN, particularly in relation to erroneous views where sufferers are considered in control of their condition.