Breaking generational stigma: a parent-centered campaign on Eating Disorders in East Asian households

This thesis examines how intergenerational cultural values, family communication practices, and digital media environments shape eating disorder stigma, recognition, and treatment-seeking behaviors within East Asian households. Drawing on a mixed-method, project-based research design, the study integrates 30 semi-structured interviews with adolescents, parents, and professionals alongside multi-layered social media analyses, including hashtag discourse, algorithmic exposure patterns, and comment-level evaluation trends. Findings reveal that eating disorders are frequently interpreted through moral frameworks of discipline, responsibility, and body control, reinforced by both family dynamics and highly visible social media narratives that equate thinness with achievement. Stigma is sustained through silence, face-preserving behaviors, and financial misconceptions surrounding therapy access, contributing to delayed recognition and care. In response, this thesis develops a culturally tailored, parent-centered health communication campaign that reframes responsibility, discipline, and success toward early intervention and psychological protection. By aligning with culturally resonant values and leveraging credibility cues present in parent-facing media environments, the campaign aims to reduce stigma, improve mental health literacy, and promote timely engagement with treatment. This work contributes to both theoretical understanding and applied health communication by positioning parents and family systems as central agents in eating disorder prevention and recovery.