Trastornos de la conducta alimentaria en Internet: Un estudio exploratorio de los blogs «pro-Ana/Mia» en español

Abstract

Los trastornos de la conducta alimentaria son un grupo de patologias que en las culturas de tipo occidental se hallan intensamente condicionadas por el entorno social. En este contexto, internet se ha convertido no solamente en uno de los medios con mayor alcance masivo a nivel mundial, sino tambien en una plataforma interactiva en donde la comunicacion fluye en todos los sentidos. Este fenomeno ha dado lugar al surgimiento de las llamadas comunidades pro/ana mia creando sitios web donde perdosnas que padecen algun tipo de TCA pueden crear vinculos y sentirse resguardados en un clima de igualdad y comprension. En el presente trabajo se describen "Las carreras de kilos" por ser particular de la cultura hispana y ser un importante reforzador negativo de la enfermedad.

It is widely known that eating disorders (ED) are a group of pathologies that are strongly conditioned by the influences of the social environment from the western cultures. In this context, the Internet has not only become one of the most massive media in the world, but also an interactive platform in which communication flows in all directions. This phenomenon has given place to the appearance of the so called “Pro-Ana/Mia Communities”, creating websites in which people who suffer from eating disorders can establish relationships and be supported in a positive environment. This fact has drawn the attention of scientific community in many countries, but few specialists have investigated about Pro-Ana/Mia blogs in Spain and Latin America. For this reason, a review of 15 Spanish Pro-Ana/Mia blogs has been conducted, analyzing and comparing their structure and contents to those described in international articles. From this material, it was described and analyzed the way in which components of these sites, such as the «Tips & Tricks», «Thinspiration», chats and «Kilos races», reinforce certain types of cognitions that lead visitors to keep their eating disorder throughout time. The latter mentioned was the only additional source found as regards English speaking papers, what might suggest great cultural similarities in what ED concerns. This analysis has great therapeutic implications, since it allows us to think in effective and suitable strategies for an accurate treatment.