Perspectivas de género de profesionales de la salud mental en el tratamiento de Trastornos de la Conducta Alimentaria (TCA) en consulta privada en Quito durante el periodo enero-junio 2025

Abstract

This study analyzes the discursive repertoires of clinical psychology professionals on the gender perspective in the treatment of eating disorders (EDs) in private practice in Quito, during the period January-June 2025. Using qualitative design and discourse analysis, we sought to identify how the meanings that clinicians attribute to gender influence the way they understand and approach EDs. Eleven psychologists participated in the study, and their interviews were analyzed to examine what they said about the relationship between gender and EDs. However, the main focus was on finding the connection between the gender perspective and the treatment of EDs in their practice, in order to recognize discursive patterns, tensions, and contradictions. The results reveal three main repertoires: gender as a social construct, gender as psychological identity, and gender as social inequality. These repertoires show the coexistence of discourses that balance between the reproduction of stereotypical norms and openness to more inclusive perspectives. Specifically, aesthetic mandates and gender roles appear repeatedly in the discourses of professionals, but their understanding is not the same. In the case of women, EDs are often explained by family factors, cultural pressures, and body models associated with thinness, without always considering their structural problem. On the other hand, in men, the pressure to meet ideals of strength and musculature is more clearly recognized, as is the invisibility of EDs due to their association with the feminine. The influence of maternal figures as transmitters of discourses related to the body and beauty within the family environment was also recognized, which can cause body insecurity and a greater risk of suffering from an eating disorder in children. Furthermore, the findings of this study highlight the persistence of heteronormative bias within clinical psychological practice, where gender diversity is often not addressed or is considered a general category that groups together everything that is “different,” neglecting attention to their experiences due to the context in which they live.