Understanding Eating Disorders: Predisposing, Precipitating, and Perpetuating Factors
Have you asked yourself the question, “What causes eating disorders in adolescence and adulthood?” Something you need to know first – it’s not just one thing.
Eating disorders are complex mental health conditions with multiple contributing factors. To better understand how they develop and persist, it’s helpful to look at three categories of influences: predisposing factors, precipitating factors, and perpetuating factors. Each plays a distinct role in the onset and maintenance of an eating disorder.
1. Predisposing Factors: The Foundation of Vulnerability
These are the underlying characteristics that make someone more vulnerable to developing an eating disorder. While they don’t cause an eating disorder on their own, they create a fertile ground where one can take root under the right circumstances.
- Biological Factors
Genetics can play a powerful role. Certain genetic markers and neurotransmitter abnormalities (like those affecting serotonin or dopamine) can influence mood regulation, appetite, and anxiety levels—all of which are relevant in eating disorder development. Research shows that eating disorders tend to run in families. Certain genes may increase susceptibility to traits like perfectionism, anxiety, or obsessive thinking, all of which are associated with eating disorders. Twin studies have estimated that genetics can account for 40–60% of the risk. - Psychological Factors
Personality traits such as perfectionism, obsessive-compulsiveness, and high anxiety are commonly seen in individuals with eating disorders. These traits may drive rigid thinking about food, body image, and self-worth. - Sociocultural Factors
We live in a culture that often glorifies thinness and stigmatizes weight gain. Exposure to the “thin ideal,” diet culture, and weight stigma can shape distorted beliefs about body image and increase pressure to control one’s body through food or exercise.
2. Precipitating Factors: The Triggering Events
These are the life events or changes that may trigger the onset of disordered eating behaviors in someone already vulnerable due to predisposing factors.
- Onset of Adolescence
Puberty brings rapid physical, hormonal, and emotional changes. It’s a time when body image concerns often emerge or intensify, making it a common starting point for eating disorders. - Major Life Events
Transitions like a move, parental divorce, trauma, or loss can cause emotional distress. In response, some individuals may turn to food restriction or other eating behaviors as a way to feel control. - Dieting
Often underestimated, dieting is one of the most common precipitating factors. Restricting food can lead to both psychological and physiological consequences that increase the risk of an eating disorder developing—especially in someone with underlying vulnerabilities.
3. Perpetuating Factors: Why Eating Disorders Continue
Once disordered eating behaviors begin, they often become self-sustaining due to the effects of malnutrition on both the brain and body.
- Biological and Psychological Effects of Malnutrition
Restriction and inadequate nutrition can impair cognitive function, increase obsessive thoughts about food, worsen anxiety, and disrupt hunger cues. These changes can entrench the disorder, making it more difficult to recover without intervention.
Eating disorders rarely arise from a single cause. They are the result of a complex interaction between biological, psychological, and environmental influences. By understanding the predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating factors, we can better support early intervention, treatment, and ultimately, recovery.
If you or someone you care about is struggling with an eating disorder, know that help is available—and healing is possible. Ready to start healing? Book a free call here.
