The role of sisters in body image dissatisfaction and disordered eating

The Tripartite Influence Model (TIM) argues sociocultural agents affect body image dissatisfaction (BID) via the mediators of social comparison and internalization. BID subsequently influences disordered eating. Forty-seven Australian sister pairs (18–25 years) provided self-reports of perceived familial modeling and pressure by the sociocultural agents of mother, father and sister, social comparison, internalization, BID, bulimic behaviors, and dietary restriction. Sisters were correlated on internalization, BID, disordered eating, and parental modeling and pressure. Mothers and sisters were equally important modeling agents. Sisters were an equivalent social comparison target to peers. Consistent with the TIM, internalization and social comparison mediated familial pressure on BID. Contrary to the model, sister modeling directly affected bulimic behaviors and dietary restriction.

Body image dissatisfaction and low self-esteem due to physical appeareance in students of the faculty of medicine at the university of los andes (mérida, venezuela)

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate body image dissatisfaction in relation to low self-esteem due to physical appearance in students of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Los Andes in Mérida, Venezuela.  It was a non-experimental and correlational study.  The sample included 189 students (27% male and 73% female) with an average age of 19.58 ± 1.57 (men: 19.81 years of age ± 1.74 and women: 20.24 years of age ± 1.76).  Participants were intentionally selected from first-year courses of the Medicine, Nursing and Nutrition programs.  The Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) (Cooper and Taylor, 1987) was the instrument used to measure body image dissatisfaction and Graffar’s modified method (Méndez and De Méndez, 1994) was applied to determine the participants’ socioeconomic status.  A descriptive analysis (frequency, percentages, mean) and an inferential analysis (one-way ANOVA) were applied to the data using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) version 9.0.  One of the most important findings in this study was the determination of a statistically significant relationship between dissatisfaction and body image and between low self-esteem and gender χ2 (2, N= 189) = 9.686, p=0.008.  Using ANOVA also helped determine that differences in the mean for dissatisfaction and low self-esteem levels with body image and gender are statistically significant, F= 11.236; p=0.008, F=10.23; p=0.002, respectively.  Conclusions: results obtained suggest a relationship between dissatisfaction and low self-esteem due to physical appearance. Consequently, subjects reject their body image because of a distorted or undistorted perception of their physical appearance, which can possibly affect self-esteem.  Moreover, it is observed that the students’ psychological health is more related to their satisfaction with their body-image than to the way their body image is perceived. Consequently, this group of participants must be analyzed regarding their self-esteem due to body image, as an expression in the institutional environment.  It is also important to emphasize that gender may be a risk factor concerning eating disorders.  We believe the foregoing because women showed higher dissatisfaction levels because of their physical appearance being conditioned by a higher dissatisfaction with their perceived body image, which is characterized by an overestimation of the physical dimension of their body image.

Increase in Body Mass Index decreases body satisfaction of their abdominal, arm and thigh regions in young Japanese women [in Japanese]

The aim of the present study was to examine body concern and satisfactions in 191 female university students and their relationships with measured body composition and circumferences of selected body parts. Body composition and circumference measurements of participants were conducted after obtaining their consent. Body concern and satisfaction were determined using the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) and the Body parts and General subscales from the Body Satisfaction Scales (BSS). Increase in body composition and circumferences were associated with decrease in body concern and satisfaction. Increase in body size, including circumferences did not decrease whole body satisfaction but increased dissatisfaction at the abdominal, arm and thigh regions.

Understanding body image disturbance in the promotion of mental health : a discourse analytic study

Health care interventions in the area of body image disturbance and eating disorders largely involve individual treatment approaches, while prevention and health promotion are relatively underexplored. A review of health promotion activities in the area of body image in Australia revealed three programmes, the most extensive and longest standing having been established in 1992. The aims of this programme are to reduce body image dissatisfaction and inappropriate eating behaviour, especially among women. Because health promotion is concerned with the social aspects of health, it was hypothesized by the authors that a social understanding of body image and eating disorders might be advanced in a health promotion setting and reflected in the approach to practice. In order to examine approaches to body image in health promotion, 10 health professionals responsible for the design and management of this programme participated in a series of semi-structured interviews between 1997 and 2000. Three discursive themes were evident in health workers' explanations of body image problems: (1) cognitive-behavioural themes; (2) gender themes; and (3) socio-cultural themes. While body image problems were constructed as psychological problems that are particularly experienced by women, their origins were largely conceived to be socio-cultural. The implications of these constructions are critically discussed in terms of the approach to health promotion used in this programme.

Body weight, body image, and eating behaviours : relationships with ethnicity and acculturation in a community sample of young Australian women

A study was conducted to investigate associations between ethnicity and acculturation status and risk factors for eating disorders among young adult women. A community sample of 14,779 women aged 18–23 completed a comprehensive mail-out survey, which incorporated questions on country of birth, length of time spent in Australia, body weight, weight dissatisfaction, dieting, binge eating, and compensatory disordered eating behaviours. Results showed that risk factors for eating disorders were present across a range of ethnic groups. Further, a strong acculturation effect was observed, such that the longer the time spent in Australia, the more women reported weight-related values and behaviours similar to those of Australian-born women. Results challenge claims that risk factors for disordered eating are restricted to Caucasian females in Western societies. Implications for understanding ethnic and sociocultural influences on body weight, dieting, and disordered eating are considered.

Consumer dissatisfaction with self-service technologies : an empirical exploration of its antecedents

Self-service technologies (SSTs) are commonplace for consumers' use, which is reflected in the growing body of literature that pertains to SSTs. The bulk of this literature has focussed on the adoption of SSTs, while relatively little attention has been given to consumers' consumption and evaluation of SSTs. Arguably, this is an area worthy of exploration in the light of frequent reports of consumers' dissatisfaction with SSTs. Therefore, this paper examines the antecedents of consumers' overall dissatisfaction with an SST encounter, and finds that consumers' dissatisfaction with the attributes of the SST and consumers' perceptions of causal controllability explain 50 per cent of the variance in consumers' overall dissatisfaction with the SST Insights into removing the causes of SST dissatisfaction are offered to managers, which are, arguably, important for consumer retention.

Body image and self-esteem among Asian, Pacific Islander, and white college students in Hawaii and Australia

Body image and its relationship to self-esteem was examined among Asian, Pacific Islander, and White women and men from Hawaii and Australia (n = 172). Although Pacific Islander and White participants had higher body mass indices than Asians, Pacific Islanders were more satisfied than Asians with their health and more satisfied than Asians and Whites with their appearance. Thus, higher body weight and greater body satisfaction may co-occur among Pacific Islanders, whereas lower weight and lower body satisfaction may co-occur among Asians. The findings suggest different levels of risk for body image dissatisfaction, and its associated psychological consequences, across ethnic groups.

A qualitative exploration of body image experiences of women progressing through pregnancy

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy provides an interesting challenge to body image theories in that the natural physiological changes push women further from the socioculturally prescribed thin ideal which these theories hinge upon. The impact that these significant physiological changes have on the woman's body image during pregnancy may depend on the extent to which they retain or revise the ideal. However, little is known about body image experiences during pregnancy. AIM: To provide a comprehensive exploration of the body image experiences of pregnant women. METHODS: Individual structured interviews were conducted with 19 currently pregnant women. Transcriptions were analysed using a thematic content analysis approach. FINDINGS: Themes extracted from the qualitative data included: (1) women's body image experiences during pregnancy were complex and changing, and shaped by the salience of specific body parts, the women's expectations for future changes to their body within the perinatal period, the functionality of the body, and their experience of maternity clothing, (2) women were able to negotiate the changes to their bodies as they recognised the functionality of the pregnant body, (3) women were surprised by the public nature of the pregnant body, (4) partner support and positive feedback about the pregnant body was highly valued, and (5) the importance of open communication around weight and body image in antenatal healthcare. DISCUSSION: Our findings highlight the need for the adaptation and expansion of existing body image theories to be used as a framework for women's experiences of pregnancy.

Internalization as a mediator of the relationship between conformity to masculine norms and body image attitudes and behaviors among young men in Sweden, US, UK, and Australia

We examined whether internalization of sociocultural body ideals mediated the relationship between conformity to masculine norms and drive for muscularity, leanness, and thinness in a sample of males from Sweden, US, UK, and Australia. Over six hundred young men [n=142 (Sweden); n=192 (US); n=141 (UK); n=160 (Australia)] completed an online survey that included assessments of masculine role norms, body image, and internalization of sociocultural body ideals. Path analyses confirmed internalization as a mediator between greater conformity to masculine norms and body image measures (drive for thinness, desire for leanness, and desire for muscularity) across the sample. However, significant cross-country differences in the strength of these mediation effects were found. Mediation effects among US, Australian, and Swedish males were comparable, whereas these effects were weaker in the UK sample. Findings confirmed the importance of internalization of sociocultural body ideals in the tested models.

Body dysmorphic disorder among dermatologic patients: Prevalence and clinical features

Background: An impairing preoccupation with a nonexistent or slight defect in appearance is the core symptom of body dysmorphic disorder (ODD), a psychiatric condition common in dermatology settings.Objective: We sought to determine the prevalence of ODD in dermatologic patients, comparing general and cosmetic settings, and describing some demographic and clinical characteristics.Methods: In all, 300 patients were consecutively assessed. Screening and diagnoses were performed with validated instruments plus a best estimate diagnosis procedure. The final sample comprised 150 patients in the cosmetic group, 150 patients in the general dermatology group, and 50 control subjects. Standard statistical analyses were performed (chi(2), nonparametric tests, logistic regression).Results: The current prevalence was higher in the cosmetic group (14.0%) compared with general (6.7%) and control (2.0%) groups. No patient had a previous diagnosis. Frequently the reason for seeking dermatologic treatment was not the main ODD preoccupation. Patients with ODD from the cosmetic group were in general unsatisfied with the results of dermatologic treatments.Limitations: Cross-sectional study conducted in a university hospital is a limitation. It is uncertain if the findings can be generalized. Retrospective data regarding previous treatments are not free from bias.Conclusions: BUD is relatively common in a dermatologic setting, especially among patients seeking cosmetic treatments. These patients have some different features compared with general dermatology patients. Dermatologists should be aware of the clinical characteristics of ODD to identify and refer these patients to mental health professionals. (J Am Acad Dermatol 2010;63:235-43.)

Semantic Equivalence of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the "Body Change Inventory"

With the increase in research on the components of Body Image, validated instruments are needed to evaluate its dimensions. The Body Change Inventory (BCI) assesses strategies used to alter body size among adolescents. The scope of this study was to describe the translation and evaluation for semantic equivalence of the BCI in the Portuguese language. The process involved the steps of (1) translation of the questionnaire to the Portuguese language; (2) back-translation to English; (3) evaluation of semantic equivalence; and (4) assessment of comprehension by professional experts and the target population. The six subscales of the instrument were translated into the Portuguese language. Language adaptations were made to render the instrument suitable for the Brazilian reality. The questions were interpreted as easily understandable by both experts and young people. The Body Change Inventory has been translated and adapted into Portuguese. Evaluation of the operational, measurement and functional equivalence are still needed.

Body image perception in people with type 2 diabetes: does perceived image match reality?

Rationale: Body image misperception and body image dissatisfaction can lead to underestimation of weight and less predisposition to weight control.

Body image perception in adolescents and concern with weight

In a holistic conception of health, youth health is moderated by their self image and the perception that adolescents have of themselves is conditioned by social and cultural pressure, and low selfesteem is often observed, possibly caused by the way they perceive their own body, having as a consequence, an health proile with morbidities. Recognize the level of youth heath assessing Body Image perception and their concern with weight. It is a descriptive, quantitative and transversal study. Based on a sampling error lower than 5% and a conidence level of 95%, the study was carried out on a sample of 600 adolescents aged between 12 and 18. A self-ad-ministered questionnaire validated for adolescents was conducted by Di Pietro (2002). The sample is composed of 44% male and 56% female adolescents, with an age mean of 15.54. 61.2% of the boys and 83.6% of the girls stated to be concerned with their weight. The main reasons given for this concern were health associated with aesthetics (29.1% of boys and 38.5% of girls). The results show that 12.8% of boys and 23.5% of girls are dissatisied with their body image. The study revealed that the variable gender is statistically moderating in relation to the variables: body image perception and concern with weight: female adolescents show a higher dissatisfaction with their body image (0.003) and a bigger concern with weight (0.000). The results point out towards the need for assessment/ intervention in this population as body image represents a paramount issue in adolescence, with the body image self-perception being strongly associated with the biopsychosocial maturing process, which interferes with their level of health and personal and social development.