ArticleLiterature Review

Is Fat Talking a Causal Risk Factor for Body Dissatisfaction? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

November 2013
International Journal of Eating Disorders 46(7)

November 2013
46(7)

DOI:10.1002/eat.22151

Source
PubMed

Authors:

Helen Sharpe

The University of Edinburgh

Ulrike Naumann

IQVIA

Janet L Treasure

King's College London

Fat talking has been assumed to be a causal risk factor for body dissatisfaction in a number of prevention programs and body confidence campaigns. The aim of this paper was to assess whether fat talking meets three criteria necessary for causal risk factors, namely whether fat talking is: (a) cross-sectionally associated with body dissatisfaction; (b) prospectively associated with changes in body dissatisfaction; and (c) associated with changes in body dissatisfaction in experimental studies. A systematic literature review was conducted using electronic databases and hand searching of relevant journals. Meta-analyses provided pooled effect size estimates, and meta-regressions were used to determine whether age, gender or risk of bias were effect modifiers of the relationship. Searches revealed 24 studies. There was a significant cross-sectional association (r = 0.297, 95% CI = 0.225-0.349), which differed in strength between age groups and genders. There was a prospective association between fat talking and changes in body dissatisfaction in long term (r = 0.144, 95% CI = 0.050-0.234), but not in short-term studies (r = 0.022, 95% CI = -0.131-0.174). One study showed that experimental exposure to fat talking was associated with increases in body dissatisfaction (d = 0.124). As such, there is good evidence that fat talking is a correlate of body dissatisfaction. The few prospective and experimental studies give an initial indication that fat talking is a causal risk factor for body dissatisfaction. Further work is needed to support this position.(Int J Eat Disord 2013).

Hubungan antara Pembicaraan Tubuh dengan Ketidakpuasan Bentuk Tubuh pada Remaja Pengguna Media Sosial

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2022

The development of a positive or negative body image becomes very important, especially during adolescence. This study aims to determine the relationship between negative fat talk, negative muscle talk, and positive body talk with body dissatisfaction of adolescent social media users. Data was collected by online survey which included Body Shape Questionnaire-34 (BSQ-34) and Body Talk Scale (BTS). This research uses purposive sampling. Participants consisted of 221 women and 35 men who met the inclusion criteria. In accordance with the first hypothesis, the results of the analysis show that there is a significant positive relationship between negative fat talk in the below and above average groups with body dissatisfaction. In line with the second hypothesis, it was found there was a significant positive relationship between negative muscle talk with body dissatisfaction. However, the third hypothesis of this study was rejected because there was no significant relationship between positive body talk and body dissatisfaction. The results of this study have implications for those who want to promote a positive body image about the characteristics of the target that needs to be targeted and suggestions for intervention.

Developmental changes in fat talk to avoid peer rejection in Japanese girls and young women

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2019

"Fat talk" refers to conversations focused on body disparagement. We examined developmental changes in fat talk to avoid social rejection and the mediating role of fat talk between "thin-ideal" internalization and body dissatisfaction. A total of 214 high school girls and 227 college-aged women completed questionnaires assessing fat talk engagement, body dissatisfaction, thin-ideal internalization, and sensitivity to rejection. Path analyses showed that fat talk mediated between thin-ideal internalization and body dissatisfaction and that rejection sensitivity predicted fat talk among high school girls, but not among college women. The purpose of fat talk differed by developmental stage, suggesting that interventions for improving body image should be developmentally tailored.

Family Fat Talk Questionnaire – Polish adaptation

Article

Full-text available

Feb 2024

Cel pracy Ciało odgrywa istotną rolę w procesie kształtowania poczucia własnej wartości, zwłaszcza u osób w stadium adolescencji. Celem badań własnych była adaptacja samoopisowego narzędzia Family Fat Talk Questionnaire (FFTQ) Mc Donald i zespołu. Metoda Badaniem objęto 391 osób na przełomie późnej adolescencji i wczesnej dorosłości. Zastosowano: 1) ankietę osobową – celem kontrolowania zmiennych ubocznych, 2) Family Fat Talk Questionnaire w polskiej wersji językowej (FFTQ-PL) oraz 3) Kwestionariusz wizerunku ciała (KWCO) A. Głębockiej, dla sprawdzenia trafności zewnętrznej. Badania prowadzono online od grudnia 2022 do lutego 2023. Wyniki Wyniki badań wskazują, że FFTQ-PL ma zadowalającą rzetelność, trafność zewnętrzną, a jego dwuczynnikowa konstrukcja (czynnik 1. – „Ja”; czynnik 2. – „Rodzina”) potwierdziła się. Odnotowano ponadto, że większe natężenie rodzinnego fat talk występuje u kobiet niż u mężczyzn; (najwyższy wynik w FFTQ-PL uzyskały osoby identyfikujące się jako „inna płeć”, jednak z uwagi na niską liczebność tej podgrupy, obserwację tę należy traktować z dużą ostrożnością). Udowodniono też, że wysoki wynik w zakresie rodzinnego fat talk mierzony FFTQ-PL współistnieje z wysoką wartością wskaźnika masy ciała (BMI), z większą różnicą w zakresie masy ciała realnej i idealnej, z większym poczuciem bycia grubym, mniejszym poczuciem atrakcyjności i większym przekonaniem, że myślenie o własnym ciele wynika ze stosunku rodziny i bliskich do cielesności. Wnioski Miarę tę warto wykorzystać w badaniach przesiewowych do identyfikowania osób – szczególnie adolescentów – angażujących się w autodewaluujące konwersacje na gruncie rodziny. Okazuje się bowiem, że fat talk, szczególnie w przypadku osób o negatywnym obrazie własnego ciała, może stać się czynnikiem ryzyka dla podejmowania ryzykownych praktyk związanych z jedzeniem.

Fat talk, old talk, or both? Association of negative body talk with mental health, body dissatisfaction, and quality of life in men and women

Article

Full-text available

May 2023

Background Little research has investigated the harmful effects of old talk—negative age-related body talk—on mental health and quality of life despite substantial research examining fat talk. Old talk also has only been evaluated in women and in relation to few outcomes. Of note, old talk and fat talk are strongly correlated, suggesting possible overlap in elements that drive negative outcomes. Thus, the primary aim of this study was to investigate the extent that old talk and fat talk contribute to negative mental health and quality of life outcomes when examined in the same model and when interacting with age. Methods Adults (N = 773) ages 18–91 completed an online survey assessing eating disorder pathology, body dissatisfaction, depression, aging anxiety, general anxiety, quality of life, and demographics. Results While fat talk and old talk were correlated with almost all outcome variables, fat talk was more commonly significantly associated with poorer outcomes than old talk. Additionally, the relationship between fat talk and old talk with poorer mental health was affected by age in men, but not women. Conclusions Future research is warranted to decipher the individual effects of old talk and fat talk on mental health and quality of life across the adult lifespan.

Body talk on social network sites and body dissatisfaction among college students: The mediating roles of appearance ideals internalization and appearance comparison

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2022

The present study investigated the association between body talk on social networking sites (SNS) and body dissatisfaction as well as the mediating effects of appearance ideals internalization and appearance comparison in this relationship. Participants were 476 Chinese college students who completed questionnaires regarding SNS body talk, thin-ideal internalization, muscular-ideal internalization, general attractiveness internalization, appearance comparison, and body dissatisfaction. Results indicated that SNS body talk was positively linked to body dissatisfaction. The relationship between SNS body talk and body dissatisfaction was mediated by thin-ideal internalization and muscular-ideal internalization while the mediating effects of general attractiveness internalization and appearance comparison in this relationship were nonsignificant. Moderated mediation analysis further revealed that thin-ideal internalization mediated the association for women but not men and that other indirect effects did not differ among genders. The findings of this study provide more insights into the relationship between SNS use and body image.

Gender and Cultural Differences in the Relationships between Self-Esteem Contingency, Body Talk, and Body Esteem

Article

Full-text available

Nov 2021

This study analyzed the positive and negative body talk of male and female adolescents cross-culturally with an emphasis on the role of appearance-contingent and others’ approval-contingent self-worth. A cross-national survey in Austria, Belgium, Spain, and South Korea among 12- to 16-year-olds (982 female and 993 male) found that (1) positive body talk was positively related and negative body talk was negatively related to body esteem; (2) appearance contingency was positively related to negative body talk; (3) appearance contingency increased positive body talk among girls (except Korean girls); and (4) contingency on other’s approval increased positive body talk among boys in all four countries. Overall, gender differences were more prominent than cultural differences and positive body talk was instrumental in promoting adolescents’ body esteem.

Konsorsium I Psikologi Prosiding - ISBN

Conference Paper

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Apr 2021

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Konsorsium I Psikologi Prosiding - ISBN

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Pandemi Covid-19 yang terjadi Indonesia menyebabkan sekolah saat ini harus melaksanakan pembelajaran secara online atau pembelajaran jarak jauh. Peraturan yang dibuat pemerintah untuk meminimalisir penyebaran Covid-19 adalah dengan menutup tempat-tempat umum seperti perkantoran, pusat perbelanjaan hingga rumah ibadah. Sekolah pun tidak luput dari peraturan tersebut. Upaya yang dilakukan oleh pemerintah yaitu membuat kebijakan untuk meliburkan seluruh pembelajaran di sekolah dan menggantinya kepada sistem pembelajaran online atau yang sekarang kerap disebut Pembelajaran Jarak Jauh (PJJ), sehingga seluruh siswa 􀂱 siswi diharuskan untuk menjalani pembelajaran Pembelajaran Jarak Jauh (PJJ). Para pengajar pun harus mencari cara yang efektif dalam menyampaikan materi pelajaran kepada siswa secara online. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui teacher centered learning yang efektif untuk diterapkan dalam pembelajaran jarak jauh pada masa pandemi ini. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah Literature Review, peneliti mengumpulkan dan memanfaatkan materi-materi tertulis seperti jurnal dan artikel sebagai sumber primer dan artikel untuk menganalisis pembelajaran yang efektif untuk siswa dalam pembelajaran online.

A social clinical perspective on perfectionism in disordered eating behaviour

Thesis

Full-text available

Jun 2019

Ayoub Bouguettaya

This research addressed how perfectionism relates to disordered eating by using a social identity approach. It found that the norms within valued identities dictated perfectionism content, including disordered eating tendencies, and that changing these norms could reduce perfectionism. Addressing perfectionism in this way may lead to improved disordered eating interventions.

A Social Clinical Perspective on Perfectionism in Disordered Eating Behaviour

Preprint

Jul 2019

Ayoub Bouguettaya

All over Australia, disordered eating rates are increasing. Decades of research have indicated that perfectionism is a key risk factor for disordered eating behaviour. While there remains some debate about the specific facets of perfectionism, there is general agreement that perfectionism can be delineated based on the perceived source: self-oriented perfectionism (i.e., “I must be perfect”) and socially prescribed perfectionism (i.e., “They require me to be perfect”). Conceptually, this overlaps with social psychology. Specifically, this mirrors traditional social identity approaches of how individuals integrate personal identity content with social identity content. However, to date no research has used a social psychological approach to understand how perfectionism comes about, how it may lead to disordered eating behaviour, and thereby imply how social psychology could aid in therapeutic approaches to reduce perfectionism. In this thesis, I argue that self-oriented perfectionism and socially prescribed perfectionism are analogous to personal identity content and social identity content. Across five papers, I present evidence for this social identity approach to perfectionism in disordered eating. Firstly, I present the Consolidated Perfectionism Model to explain how self-oriented perfectionism and socially prescribed perfectionism can be considered from a social identity perspective, integrating cross cultural, clinical, and sociocultural perspectives on perfectionism in disordered eating. Secondly, I present qualitative evidence suggesting that self-oriented perfectionism is absorbed through intrapersonal factors, and socially prescribed perfectionism is in fact a self-control norm transmitted through “fat talk.” Third, through two correlational studies, we find that perfectionism pressure does appear to relate to thin ideal beliefs, but in another study, low self-control was related to disordered eating above body dissatisfaction. Fourthly, I present data that suggests socially prescribed perfectionism relates to disordered eating through negative urgency (a facet of self-control), indicating that disordered eating behaviour is driven by a negative reaction to socially prescribed perfectionism norms present within the immediate social environment. Fifth and finally, I present evidence that we can reduce socially prescribed perfectionism by manipulating the context of health messages to counter perfectionism. We conclude by discussing how this new perspective can add to therapies designed to reduce perfectionism. This thesis adds to social psychological theory by further presenting evidence that the social identity approach has utility in changing toxic group-based beliefs. However, it also has implications for clinical psychology, by presenting evidence that the use of explicit social psychological frameworks may add to traditional clinicalapproaches. Overall, this thesis presents strong evidence for the use of social psychology approaches to clinical disorders, especially in disordered eating.

INDICATIONS OF DISRUPTION: MIXED METHODS INSIGHTS INTO WOMEN'S EXPERIENCES OF EMBODIMENT

Thesis

Full-text available

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The purpose of this project was to explore how certain socially informed individual factors relate to women’s positive embodiment and how a socially informed situation can impact women’s positive embodiment. Embodiment as conceptualized using the developmental theory of embodiment is a multidimensional construct at the crossroads between dominant social structures and individual’s embodied practices (Piran, 2017; Piran et al., 2020). We explored these relationships and impacts over two studies. In study one, we explored the relationships between women’s positive embodiment, internalized weight biases, and mindfulness. We also tested whether moderation or mediation models best fit the data. Results indicate that internalized weight bias significantly negatively relates with all dimensions of embodiment as well as with mindfulness. Partial mediation was supported. Internalized weight bias partially mediated the relationship between mindfulness monitoring and positive embodiment as well as the relationship between mindfulness acceptance and positive embodiment. Moderation was not supported for either mindfulness monitoring or mindfulness acceptance. These results imply that increased trait mindfulness helps to improve women’s positive embodiment by reducing the internalization of weight biases, and not by reducing the relationship between internalized weight bias and positive embodiment. In study two, we used parallel mixed-methods to examine and explore how a socially informed situation can impact women’s embodiment. Women were surveyed and interviewed on their experiences with trying on clothes in a dressing room. Surveys had a between-subjects experimental design, and interviews were semi-structured. We found that women, in a scenario where they imagined fitting into pants two sizes larger than they were expecting, had significantly lower general affect, lower core affect pleasure, lower positive emotions, and higher negative emotions than in the other scenarios. Additionally, women in a control scenario reported significantly lower state body surveillance than the dressing room scenarios. From interviews we found that women’s experiences with dressing rooms were largely negative, included aspects of all but one dimension of embodiment, and reflected the complexity of the construct. Overall, our results reinforce the multidimensionality of the experience of embodiment, and the complexity of the dialectical relationship between these experiences and “macro” level social factors.

behavsci-14-00025-v2

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Dec 2023

Beyond Gender: Interoceptive Sensibility as a Key Predictor of Body Image Disturbances

Preprint

Full-text available

Nov 2023

Body image disturbance (BID) involves negative attitudes towards shape and weight and is associated with lower levels of interoception (awareness of and attention toward internal physiological states). This association is considered a risk factor for developing eating disorders (EDs) and is linked to altered sensorimotor representations of the body (i.e., body schema). BIDs manifest across genders and are currently understudied in men. This study investigated gender-related differences in BID and its relationship to the body schema and interoception. Data were collected from 86 men and women. BID was assessed using questionnaires measuring self-objectification, state, and trait body dissatisfaction. Interoceptive sensibility was measured via the MAIA-2. The body schema was indexed via an embodied mental rotation task. Results showed that women reported higher BID than men across all scales. Gender differences in sub-components of interoceptive sensibility were found. Overall, both gender and interoceptive sensibility predicted BID. However, interoceptive sensibility exhibited its own unique association with BID beyond the influence of gender. BID, IS and gender were not significant predictors of performance in the body schema task. Therefore, while gender predicts differences in BID and interoceptive sensibility, there was no evidence of gender-related differences in body schema.

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Article

Full-text available

Jan 2024

Body image disturbance (BID) involves negative attitudes towards shape and weight and is associated with lower levels of interoceptive sensibility (IS) (the subjective perceptions of internal bodily states). This association is considered a risk factor for developing eating disorders (EDs) and is linked to altered sensorimotor representations of the body (i.e., body schema). BIDs manifest across genders and are currently understudied in men. This study investigated gender-related differences in BID and its relationship to the body schema and IS. Data were collected from 86 men and 86 women. BID was assessed using questionnaires measuring self-objectification, state, and trait body dissatisfaction. IS was measured via the MAIA-2. The body schema was indexed via an embodied mental rotation task. Results showed that women reported higher BID than men across all scales. Gender differences in sub-components of interoceptive sensibility were found. Overall, both gender and interoceptive sensibility predicted BID. However, interoceptive sensibility exhibited its own unique association with BID beyond the influence of gender. BID, IS and gender were not significant predictors of performance in the body schema task. Therefore, while gender predicts differences in BID and interoceptive sensibility, there was no evidence of gender-related differences in body schema.

The Impact of Body Talk on Body Dissatisfaction, Fat Phobia, and Negative Affect

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2023

How women talk with one another about their bodies can impact their body image; however, minimal research has explored how types of body talk impact women or how it affects fat phobia. The online present study examined the impact of reading about others’ body talk on body dissatisfaction, fat phobia, and negative affect. Participants included 195 women (age: M = 38.79, SD = 12.37) in the United States who were randomized to one of three vignette groups: fat talk (two women engaging in negative body talk), body function talk (one woman engaging in negative body talk and the other responding with the value of one’s body function), and control (two women talking about upcoming plans). We measured body dissatisfaction, fat phobia, and negative affect pre- and postexposure to the vignettes. The fat talk group significantly increased in fat phobia and negative affect from pre- to postexposure. The body function group significantly decreased in body dissatisfaction and fat phobia from pre- to postexposure. There was no change in the control group over time. Participants indicated that it was more common for them to view others engage in fat talk than body function talk and that fat talk was less healthy than body function talk. This research suggests that women should respond to other women who are engaging in negative body talk with body function talk. Furthermore, media conversations (e.g., on television) occurring among women should include less fat talk and more body function talk.

Individuals with restrictive eating disorders' experience of the introduction of calories on menus in England: An interpretative phenomenological analysis study

Article

Full-text available

Jul 2023
EUR EAT DISORD REV

Objective: In April 2022 the Calorie Labelling (Out of Home) Regulations came into effect in England where cafés, restaurants, and takeaways with over 250 employees were required to provide calorie labelling on menus. Concerns have been raised regarding the potential negative impact this could have on individuals with eating disorders (EDs), yet this has not been explored using qualitative methodology. Method: Eleven participants with a current or previously diagnosed restrictive ED were interviewed in September 2022. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to explore their experience of the introduction of calories on menus. Results: Using IPA we established six themes and seven subordinate themes. These included the introduction of calories on menus as an 'attack' on individuals with EDs; the prominent visual display of calories as an attentional pull; normalising of calories counting; the impact on behaviour; and associated strategies for managing. Conclusion: This contributes to research surrounding the implications for public health policies on individuals with EDs, especially their ability to reinforce and amplify disordered thoughts and behaviours, and the need for greater consideration of how to minimise impact and potential harm of large public health campaigns.

Parent and Child Influence in Body Image Dissatisfaction: The Moderating Effect of Parent Acceptance of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Article

Feb 2023
BODY IMAGE

The present study investigated the influence of parent and child-driven effects on body image dissatisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. The moderating effect of parents' acceptance of the COVID-19 pandemic and child gender were also investigated. The participants were 175 Canadian parents (mothers = 87.4%, fathers = 12%, unspecified = 0.6%) of children aged between 7 and 12 years old (M = 9.2; boys = 48.9%, girls = 51.1%). Two cohorts of parents were asked to complete a questionnaire in June 2020 and January 2021, respectively, followed by a second questionnaire approximately five months later. At both time points, the questionnaires addressed the parents' body image dissatisfaction and acceptance of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, parents reported on their child's body image dissatisfaction at both time points. Path analysis models were used to examine parent-driven and child-driven effects. Parents' acceptance of the pandemic significantly moderated both parent and child-driven effects such that parents with low levels of acceptance were more likely to negatively influence, and be negatively influenced by, their perception of their child's body image dissatisfaction. Child gender significantly moderated child-driven effects, as mothers' perception of their son's body image dissatisfaction predicted their own dissatisfaction over time. Our findings suggest that child-driven effects should be considered in future studies on body image dissatisfaction.

Childhood Trauma, Trauma Symptoms, Family Fat Talk in Relation to Adolescent Eating Behavior

Article

Dec 2022

The aim of the study was to examine whether childhood traumatic experience, trauma symptoms, and family discussions about obesity are associated with adolescent eating behavior. In addition, the study examined gender differences. Participating in the study were 726 adolescents (369 – girls, 344 – boys, 13 – no specific gender) aged 11 to 16. They completed the following questionnaires: Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (Fink et al., 1995); Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (Briere, 1995); Eating Attitudes Test (Garner et al., 1982); Family Fat Talk Questionnaire (Macdonald et al., 2015). The results showed positive associations between perceived altered eating behaviors and emotional and sexual abuse, depressive and dissociative symptoms, personal and family talk about obesity. Personal conversations about obesity predicted 21% of the variation of the adolescent’s perception of altered eating behavior. The addition of emotional abuse and dissociative symptoms in the regression model increased the explained variance to 25%. Girls reported significantly higher ratings on the study variables.

“Your Body Is Not Representative of Who You Are”: Exploring the Relations Between Feminist Attitudes, Feminist Identity, and Responses to Negative Body Talk Among Women

Article

Nov 2022

Negative body talk is a normative behavior among United States women and is an important area of intervention for women's health and well-being. Identifying as a feminist and/or endorsing feminist beliefs, which can promote a resistant stance toward cultural appearance standards, may protect against negative body talk. We conducted a mixed-methods study with an online sample of 447 predominantly White (81.1%) United States women between the ages of 18–73 years ( M = 41.25, SD = 12.54). We used Consensual Qualitative Research-Modified to systematically code open-ended survey data comprising responses to negative body talk and assessed whether liberal feminist attitudes or feminist identity relate to response categories. We categorized women's responses to negative body talk along with a feminist spectrum which ranged from explicit reinforcement of the thin ideal to a resistant stance toward beauty standards. Liberal feminism was negatively correlated with explicit reinforcement of the thin ideal, and both liberal feminism and feminist identity were positively correlated with a resistant stance. Therapists and practitioners who work with women on issues related to body image disturbance might consider supporting their clients in developing a feminist identity that can critically filter cultural messages that further objectify women.

Adolescent Females’ Dyadic Conversations About Body, Weight, and Appearance

Article

Sep 2022

Body talk among adolescent females has been associated with negative outcomes, including depressed mood, disordered eating, and body dissatisfaction. Yet, little work has investigated the manifestation of body talk in actual conversations between adolescent females or explored pathways through which body talk is spread (e.g., co-rumination). The present study examined body talk among adolescent female dyads ( N = 23 dyads) ages 13 to 17 ( M age = 15.12) using an observational design. Reciprocally nominated dyads were recruited from a high school in the southeastern United States. Conversations between dyads were qualitatively coded using an applied thematic analysis approach. Identified themes were related to weight, appearance, and personality. Results provide insight into the social context in which sociocultural norms of weight stigma, body dissatisfaction, and eating-related psychopathology may be reinforced. Findings have implications for informing the development of interventions to reduce co-rumination of negative weight- and appearance-related body talk and to promote positive body image and healthy weight among adolescent girls.

Prospective associations between loneliness and disordered eating from early adolescence to adulthood

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2022

Objective: Despite findings from numerous cross-sectional studies suggesting a substantial association between loneliness and different types of disordered eating, much remains unknown about the impact of confounding, the order of cause and effect, and gender differences in the relationship. Thus, this study followed a large, population-based, mixed-gender sample through adolescence and young adulthood, applying a random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) approach to examine the bidirectional prospective associations between loneliness and disordered eating while ruling out the effect of unmeasured time-invariant confounders. Method: A Norwegian sample of N = 2933 adolescents (54.2% female) was examined across four time points (T1, Mage = 15.44, grades 7-12; T2, Mage = 16.93; T3, Mage = 21.84; and T4, Mage = 28.33) from 1992 to 2005 using RI-CLPMs for overall disordered eating and specific forms for disordered eating (dieting and bulimic symptoms). Multigroup structural equation models were used to assess gender differences. Results: For male participants, high levels of loneliness at T1 predicted more overall disordered eating and more dieting at T2. Meanwhile, among female participants, disordered eating and bulimic symptoms at T2 predicted more loneliness at T3, whereas loneliness at T3 predicted more disordered eating and bulimic symptoms at T4, and vice versa. Discussion: The findings suggest a pattern of bidirectional associations between loneliness and disordered eating that varies by time points, gender, and type of eating problem. Preventive interventions and treatment should consider social factors involved in the onset and maintenance of eating problems in male adolescents and young adult women. Public significance: This study contributes to the existing knowledge by examining for the first time the dynamic nature of the association between loneliness and disordered eating while accounting for all time-invariant confounding. Our findings reveal a pattern of bidirectional associations between loneliness and disordered eating that appears to vary by developmental period, gender, and type of eating problem. Our findings suggest that social factors have to be taken into account when designing prevention strategies aimed at disordered eating.

Weight and Weightism

Chapter

Jan 2017

Weight-based stigma is pervasive and is propagated via sociocultural and interpersonal messages that influence individuals’ identity. The ideals communicated in these messages place disproportionate value on appearance and have made weight an important component of attractiveness. Some cultures, particularly Western culture, hold a bias toward thin bodies and promote a bias against those who do not fit cultural ideals of slender or lean body shapes. This bias, judgment, stigma, prejudice, and discrimination toward individuals based on their size, shape, or weight is known as weightism. Most of the research regarding weightism has been conducted on obesity and overweight individuals because of the related public health concerns. However, because weight is a continuum on which individuals are frequently evaluated, stigmatization is experienced by individuals who are either over or under cultural norms for appropriate weight and toward those who engage in deviant weight-control behaviors (e.g., purging). Thus, because individuals with eating disorders are often underweight and have deviant eating behaviors, they also experience weight-based stigma and discrimination. There are a multitude of negative effects associated with being a part of these stigmatized weight groups, including lower self-esteem, less social confidence, greater body dissatisfaction, poorer mental health, and increased substance use and self-harm behaviors. These negative outcomes create a social divide between the stigmatized weight groups and others, wherein stigmatized individuals turn to negative health behaviors (e.g., bingeing and purging) in an effort to cope with their negative social experiences. Subsequently, they perpetuate their affiliation with their stigmatized weight group and the related health conditions.

Eating Attitudes and Body Image Dissatisfaction among Naga Girl Students

Article

Full-text available

Jul 2022

Background: The indigenous cultures are considered as immune to eating disorders due to their ascribed positive values towards fatness and body weight. Recent studies established prevalence of disordered eating behaviour and associated risk among indigenous college women. The Naga tribes of India, who live predominantly in the NorthEastern states, adapted a "performative culture" characterised by western lifestyle. Aim: We conducted a research on Naga College-going women to assess the prevalence of disordered eating and associated risk factors. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 111 Naga girl students enrolled in a popular University in Nagaland state of India. A pre-tested self-report questionnaire with standard scales for assessing weight concerns, eating attitudes, body image dissatisfaction and fat talk responsiveness was used. Results: A larger proportion of the participants had normal weight (73.9%). Though disordered eating was less prevalent (6.3%), the participants had moderate levels of risk factors such as weight concerns, body image dissatisfaction and fat talk responsiveness. We found that 63.41% of the normal weight and 80% overweight participants thought to reduce weight. Among participants, 68.5% had no concern with shape, barring few overweight students had high body image dissatisfaction (Mean = 47.2). While underweight and normal weight students had similar levels of fat talk engagement, overweight respondents had highest fat talk scores (Mean = 27.6). Conclusions: This study demonstrated the low prevalence of disordered eating behaviour and moderate levels of risk factors among female Naga tribal students, indicating slow internalisation of Western thinness ideals among the girls. he research on eating attitudes and their risk factors among indigenous people is scarce (Black et al., 2015; Burt et al., 2020a). The eating disorder research was traditionally focused on affluent, educated, white and young women from Western societies (Pate et al., 1992), who was influenced by media-engineered cultural integration of "thin ideals" and accepted the ways of "body instrumentality" i.e. achieving ideal self

Relationship Between Sociocultural Pressures and Body Dissatisfaction Among Female University Students in Batam

Conference Paper

Full-text available

Jan 2022

A Psychosocial Exploration of Body Dissatisfaction: A Narrative Review With a Focus on India During COVID-19

Article

Full-text available

Jul 2021

COVID-19 has been an unprecedented global crisis. Besides the public health impact, the pandemic necessitated measures, such as quarantine, travel restrictions, and lockdown, that have had a huge effect on digital screen time, dietary habits, lifestyle measures, and exposure to food-related advertising. At the same time, a reduction in physical activity, an increase of social media consumption, and an increase in fitness tutorials during the lockdown have contributed to body image issues. Emerging evidence from India suggests that peer conversations about appearance as negative body talk (fat talk) is particularly salient in contributing to body dissatisfaction and body perception ideals, which are more prevalent in women. Even though there has been an increase in research on the psychosocial impact of COVID-19, its influence on body image perceptions and consequent distress have been stigmatized and classified as under-spoken areas. With this background, this article reviews research on the biopsychosocial factors that influence body dissatisfaction among women, particularly the role of media. It also highlights the development of body image concerns in India, one of the worst-hit countries in the pandemic, through liberalization, importing Western notions of body instrumentality, demographic shift, and resultant social changes. Finally, the psychosocial strategies for positive body image ideas to prevent and mitigate the adverse effects of body dissatisfaction are discussed, particularly those that focus on cognitive behavioral techniques (CBTs) from the perspectives of positive psychology, media literacy programs, and involvement of the media. Interventions and further research to address body dissatisfaction among women, especially in the post-COVID aftermath, need to be a recognized as a public health goal.

Ideas for action: Exploring strategies to address body image concerns for adolescent girls involved in sport

Article

Jul 2021
PSYCHOL SPORT EXERC

Despite the extensive benefits of sport participation, girls consistently participate at lower rates, are more likely to drop out, and report worse sport experiences compared to boys. Body image is a critical factor identified to influence sport participation for adolescent girl athletes. Strategies to mitigate the impact of body image in sport are needed. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify feasible and realistic strategies to mitigate and address body image concerns for adolescent girls involved in team sports at recreational or competitive levels. Seventy-one participants were involved in individual interviews across sport stakeholder groups, including 20 girl athletes, 11 parents of girl athletes, 13 coaches, 13 referees, and 14 sport administrators. Using a thematic analysis approach, 35 actionable strategies were identified that spanned four main themes: eliminating body image stigma, reconsidering uniforms and sport attire, from top to bottom - everyone has a role, and body-positive role modeling. The strategies spanned various systemic, environmental, social, and individual levels that are operationalized within an ecological model. Findings suggest that body image concerns in the sport environment are complex and call for multifaceted strategies that prioritize both the management of body image concerns and fostering of positive body image as a focal outcome.

'Fear of Fat' and 'Feeling Fat' or 'Feeling De-Valued' and 'Fear of Fat-Bodied Marginalisation'? Are 'Fear of Fat' and 'Feeling Fat' Over-Simplified? A Proposed Extension to Eating Disorder Constructs.

Conference Paper

Jun 2021

Rosiel Elwyn

Weight-stigma and internalised weight-stigma are risks for EDs and suicidality. Suicidal ideation in current and lifetime EDs is directly and indirectly effected by perceived-burdensomeness. Similarly, research has linked weight-based discrimination with perceived-burdensomeness and increased suicidal ideation. Weight self-stigma has been linked with weight change, indicating the negative effects of weight self-stigma, and emphasising the central role of fear of being stigmatised by others in this process. Self-discrepancy and negative self-schemas may also include fear of an imagined fat/larger self, or fear of returning to a larger/fat body weight. Considering these factors in the relationship between weight stigma, fear of fatness, and disordered eating, it may be that fear-of-fatness and perceived burdensomeness in EDs more closely align with fear of weight-based discrimination. Pervasive, systemic devaluation of individuals in fat/larger bodies may foster internalised beliefs that one is worthless or a burden on society that praises thinness, dehumanises, pathologizes, and positions larger bodies as a moral/personal failure. This may compound minority stress and weight bias internalisation for those who face intersectional oppressions and experiences of their bodies and identities as a marginalised other. Fear of additional (weight-based) marginalisation may influence ED vulnerability for certain populations, including those who may experience intersectional marginalisation, and those in larger bodies. Insecure attachment, social anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation are also highly prevalent in EDs. It may be that these factors relate to increased awareness of the threat of weight-based marginalisation and therefore, heighten ED risk. This paper will explore the literature on ‘fear of fatness’, ‘feeling fat’, and negative ‘fat talk’ in EDs as related to internalised weight stigma, marginalisation (i.e., race/ethnicity, genders, sexualities, disability), perceived burdensomeness, and fear of stigmatisation. It will argue for the consideration of ‘fear of fatness’ and ‘feeling fat’ as central to ED within a broader context of body politics, weight-based discrimination and disordered eating as a means of coping with fear of (further) social discrimination.

The impact of different responses to negative body talk on body satisfaction, shame, and future fat talk likelihood: A UK sample

Article

Sep 2021
BODY IMAGE

A recent online experiment found that, following a negative body talk induction task, receiving a response of ignoring the comment, compared with reassuring, reciprocating, and challenging, led to worse body satisfaction and socio-emotional outcomes for Australian women. The current online study aimed to replicate and extend this study by examining the effects of these four negative body talk responses on body satisfaction, shame, and future negative body talk likelihood in UK-based women. Participants (N = 156, Mage = 25.29, SDage = 5.64, rangeage = 18–40) recalled a scenario in which they engaged in negative body talk and were randomly assigned to receive one of four responses. Contrary to hypotheses, there were no significant differences in body satisfaction, shame, or future negative body talk likelihood across the four groups. Preferred negative body talk response data were mixed, with challenge and reassurance responses preferred at comparable rates, and just under a quarter of participants preferring a response outside of the original four. Possible explanations, including that the responses used in the original Australasian study may not perfectly correspond with UK women’s experiences of social interactions and heterogeneous motivations for engaging in negative body talk necessitate more nuanced and sophisticated responses, are explored.

Fat talk is predicted by body dissatisfaction and social comparison with no interaction effect: Evidence from two replication studies

Article

Jun 2021
BODY IMAGE

Verbal denigration of personal body size and shape ("fat talk") is correlated with, and can have a causal influence on body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. What is less clear is who is most likely to fat talk. To address this, Corning and Gondoli (2012) conducted a study confirming that a woman's body dissatisfaction directly predicted their fat talk. But this effect was scaled so that the likelihood of engaging in fat talk intensified if she had a stronger tendency to socially compare: the relationship was multiplicative. Here, we carried out two replications of Corning and Gondoli's (2012) study, the first with 189 UK participants and the second with 371 US participants. We found that multiple regression models predicting fat talk showed additive, but not multiplicative relationships. A robust Bayesian meta-analysis combining the results of our two studies with the results of the original study confirmed this. In conclusion, these studies show an additive relationship between fat talk and social comparison on fat talk.

Perceived Exposure and Acceptance Model of Appearance-Related Health Campaigns: Roles of Parents’ Healthy-Appearance Talk, Self-Objectification, and Interpersonal Conversations

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2021

Excessive focus on appearance or lookism requires social attention as it can have negative consequences on individuals’ psychological and mental states related to health and sustainable social practice. As part of a healthy and sustainable social practice, this study tests the mechanism of enhancing appearance-related health campaign’s effectiveness through the O1-S-O2-R framework. Participants were 220 Korean college students with being 141 male and 78 female and they completed an on-line survey. The result of SEM analyses confirmed the O1-S-O2-R model. As the result of hypotheses testing, health campaign contents suggesting anti-lookism and diverse beauty standards have attracted the attention of people whose parents conversed using relatively less healthy-appearance talk when growing up and who had higher self-objectification scores with body surveillance and body shame. Interpersonal conversations and thoughts on the media content played a mediating role in the model, while health campaigns had a higher persuasive effect on campaign evaluation and the behavior intention of spreading the campaign’s content. Implications of the findings were discussed regarding health campaign designers and individuals, including parents, in education settings.

BMI, Body Perception, and Approach to Eating and Diet in Adolescent Girls

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2020

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of weight status on body perception and satisfaction, occurrence of Anorexia Readiness Syndrome (ARS), and dietary behaviors in adolescent girls. The study was conducted among 516 girls aged 14 to 16 living in Szczecin (Poland). The ARS Diagnosis Questionnaire designed by Ziółkowska and the author’s own questionnaire about self-perception of body were used, and anthropometric assessment was performed. The weight status significantly affected weight status perception, body satisfaction, and dietary behaviors. The girls with a body mass index (BMI) > 50th percentile more often were dissatisfied with their bodies and more often showed at least a medium ARS level. The girls with a BMI ≤ 50th percentile more often overestimated their body weight, and transferred the feeling of being unattractive to their faces. Results of this study demonstrate the importance of education for adolescent girls to help realistically assess body size and promote healthy bodies and eating behaviors, regardless of the weight status.

A theoretical review of interpersonal emotion regulation in eating disorders: Enhancing knowledge by bridging interpersonal and affective dysfunction

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2020

Individuals with eating disorders (EDs) frequently report interpersonal and affective dysfunction. A useful lens for uniting these ideas is through the framework of interpersonal emotion regulation (IER), which consists of the ways others assist a distressed individual and how this shapes his or her subsequent emotional, behavioral, and cognitive responses. In this theoretical review, we provide an overview of the rationale for exploring IER and review IER processes in this population using the framework of the Process Model of Emotion Regulation. Finally, we offer suggestions for next steps in conducting research. IER offers a parsimonious way to explore social and emotional constructs related to ED pathology and may provide potential targets for prevention and intervention in these difficult-to-treat disorders.

Body talk on social networking sites and body dissatisfaction among young women: A moderated mediation model of peer appearance pressure and self-compassion

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2022
CURR PSYCHOL

The present study explored whether engaging in body talk on social networking sites (SNS) was positively related to young women’s body dissatisfaction and whether this relationship was mediated by peer appearance pressure. We also examined whether this indirect relationship would be moderated by self-compassion. The model was tested with 413 Chinese young women who completed questionnaires regarding SNS body talk, peer appearance pressure, self-compassion, and body dissatisfaction. Results indicated that SNS body talk was positively associated with body dissatisfaction and this association was mediated by peer appearance pressure. Furthermore, self-compassion moderated the indirect link between SNS body talk and body dissatisfaction via peer appearance pressure. Findings from this study extend research on the relationship between SNS use and body image and indicate the potential protecting role of self-compassion in the prevention of body image concerns.

Interaction of hormonal and social environments in understanding body image concerns in adolescent girls

Article

Dec 2018
J PSYCHIATR RES

During adolescence, peer approval becomes increasingly important and may be perceived as contingent upon appearance in girls. Concurrently, girls experience hormonal changes, including an increase in progesterone. Progesterone has been implicated in affiliative behavior but inconsistently associated with body image concerns. The current study sought to examine whether progesterone may moderate the association between perceived social pressures to conform to the thin ideal and body image concerns. Secondary analyses were conducted in cross-sectional data from 813 girls in early puberty and beyond (ages 8–16) who completed assessments of the peer environment, body image concerns, and progesterone. Models for mediation and moderation were examined with BMI, age, and menarcheal status as covariates. Belief that popularity was linked to appearance and the experience of weight-related teasing were both positively associated with greater body image concerns, but neither was associated with progesterone once adjusting for covariates. Progesterone significantly interacted with perceived social pressures in predicting body image concerns. At higher progesterone levels, appearance-popularity beliefs and weight-related teasing were more strongly related to body image concerns than they were at lower progesterone levels. Findings support a moderating role for progesterone in the link between social pressures and body image concerns in girls. This study adds to a growing literature examining how girls’ hormonal environments may modulate responses to their social environments. Longitudinal and experimental work is needed to understand temporal relations and mechanisms behind these associations.

The relationship between caregivers and daughters’ food and body shape scripts: A dyadic analysis

Article

Jun 2024
APPETITE

A content analysis of the frequency of fat talk in Walt Disney animation films (1937–2021)

Article

Mar 2024

Purpose Previous research demonstrates a consistent association between the media and body and eating related issues in children. Recent research has highlighted a role for “fat talk” to describe discourses around body size and food. One key source of media information is Disney animation films, yet to date no research study has explored the verbal content of this genre. Design/methodology/approach The present study used a content analysis to examine fat talk in Disney animation films (1937–2021; n = 53) with a focus on the frequency of fat talk, changes over time and differences between the genders and heroic statuses of the givers and receivers of fat talk. Fat talk was defined as relating to both body size and food and could be either positive or negative. Findings Results revealed that there was more negative than positive fat talk per film; no significant changes over time; males were the givers of significantly more positive and negative fat talk than females and were also the receivers of more negative fat talk; good characters were the givers and receivers of more positive and negative fat talk and more self-directed negative fat talk than bad characters. Practical implications The results are discussed in terms of possible legislation and parenting interventions to minimise the harm of this genre on young children. Originality/value Disney animation films may not be as benign as often thought.

Düzenli Egzersiz Yapan Kadınlarda İçselleştirilmiş Kilo Önyargısı ile Olumsuz Beden Konuşmaları Arasındaki İlişkinin Yaş ve Beden Kitle İndeksi Değişkenleri Açısından İncelenmesi

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2024

Investigation of the Relationship Between Weight Bias Internalization and Negative Body Talk in Women Who Regularly Exercise Considering Age and Body Mass Index VariablesDüzenli Egzersiz Yapan Kadınlarda İçselleştirilmiş Kilo Önyargısı ile Olumsuz Beden Konuşmaları Arasındaki İlişkinin Yaş ve Beden Kitle İndeksi Değişkenleri Açısından İncelenmesi

Article

Jan 2024

This study aims to investigate the correlation between internalized weight bias and negative body talk among women who engage in regular exercise, taking into account age and body mass index variables. In this context, a correlational research design, one of the quantitative research methods, was used. The study sample comprises 310 women (mean age=31.13±12.51) who exercise regularly. The data was collected using the Two-Factor Internalized Weight Bias Scale (IWBI-2F) and the Negative Body Talk Scale (NBTS). The data was analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 22 software package. Correlation analysis investigated the relationship between the WBI-2F and NBTS subscales with the body mass index variable. In addition, a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to examine potential differences in the scales based on age and body mass index variables. Furthermore, a multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to identify the predictors for both scales. Upon examination of the findings, it was determined that there was a statistically significant difference between the body concerns sub-dimension of the age variable and the weight-related stress sub-dimension, as well as the body examines sub-dimension of the body mass index variable. According to the results of multiple regression analysis, body concerns, and body comparison subscale scores were found to be significant predictors of stress scores. As a result, the research findings also observed that as the body mass index increases, weight-related stress (a sub-dimension of WBI-2F) and body concerns (a sub-dimension of NBTS) also increase positively.

Benlik yapısı ve duygu düzenleme güçlüğünün beden algısı ile ilişkisinde şişmanlık hakkında konuşmanın aracı rolünün incelenmesi

Thesis

Full-text available

Jun 2023

Eren Tuncay

Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, benlik yapısı ve duygu düzenleme güçlüğünün beden algısıyla ilişkisinde şişmanlık hakkında konuşma değişkeninin aracı rolünün incelenmesidir. Öncelikle Şişmanlık Hakkında Konuşma Ölçeği'nin uyarlama çalışması yapılmış ve örneklemini 18-40 yaş arasındaki 444 kadın oluşturmuştur. Uyarlama çalışmasında Beck Depresyon Ölçeği, Vücut Algısı Ölçeği, Yeme Tutum Testi-Kısa Formu, Yaşam Doyumu Ölçeği ve Şişmanlık Hakkında Konuşma Ölçeği kullanılmıştır. Açımlayıcı Faktör Analizi (AFA) bulgularına göre Şişmanlık Hakkında Konuşma Ölçeği'nin altı maddeden oluşan tek faktörlü yapısı dikkate alınmıştır. Doğrulayıcı Faktör Analizi (DFA) ile tek faktörlü yapı desteklenmiştir. Geçerlilik analizi sonuçları incelendiğinde, şişmanlık hakkında konuşmanın depresyon, yeme tutumu ile pozitif yönde ilişkili olduğu; vücut algısı ve yaşam doyumu ile negatif yönde ilişkili olduğu bulunmuştur. Ana çalışmanın örneklemini ise 18-40 yaş arasında 691 kadın oluşturmuştur. Duygu Düzenleme Güçlüğü Ölçeği-Kısa Form, Görünüme Yönelik Sosyal Tutumlar Ölçeği, Gözden Geçirilmiş Özerk-İlişkisel Benlik Ölçeği ve Şişmanlık Hakkında Konuşma Ölçeği kullanılmıştır. Betimsel analizler sonucunda, şişmanlık hakkında konuşma, duygu düzenleme güçlüğü ve beden algısı alt boyutlarının yaş grupları açısından farklılık gösterdiği görülmüştür. Ayrıca tek yönlü ANOVA analizi sonucuna göre şişmanlık hakkında konuşmanın benlik yapılarına göre farklılaştığı bulunmuştur. Aracılık analizi sonucunda; önerilen ilk modelde duygu düzenleme güçlüğü ile beden algısı arasında şişmanlık hakkında konuşmanın kısmi aracı rolü olduğu görülmüştür. Benzer şekilde, özerk benlik ile beden algısı arasında şişmanlık hakkında konuşmanın kısmi aracılık ettiği, ancak ilişkisel benlik ile beden algısı arasında ise anlamlı bir ilişki bulunmamıştır. Bulgular literatür ışığında tartışılmıştır.

The Transition to College as a Risk Factor for Eating Disorders

Chapter

Mar 2023

Essstörungen und Geschlecht - Geschlecht als Rahmenkonstrukt zum Verständnis psychosozialer Entwicklungsprozesse bei Anorexie und Bulimie

Thesis

Full-text available

May 2022

Marie-Luise Springmann

Zusammenfassung Die Wahrscheinlichkeit, eine Essstörung zu entwickeln, unterscheidet sich stark je nach der Geschlechtsidentität und sexuellen Orientierung einer Person. Dies deutet darauf hin, dass Geschlecht eine große Relevanz für Essstörungen besitzt, welche durch psychologische Modellvorstellungen von Essstörungen bisher unzureichend erklärt werden kann. Durch den Einbezug von Erkenntnissen aus der feministischen Theorie und Geschlechterforschung in den theoretischen Hintergrund dieser Arbeit wird es möglich, Geschlecht als komplexes Konstrukt zu fassen, welches körperliche, psychologische, soziale und kulturelle Aspekte integriert, und dieses Konstrukt für die Erweiterung des Verständnisses von Essstörungen fruchtbar zu machen. Das empirische Vorgehen folgte der Methodologie der Grounded Theory. Es wurden 14 narrative Interviews mit ehemals von Anorexie oder Bulimie betroffenen Personen geführt, ausgewertet und zu einem theoretischen Modell integriert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass an Geschlecht und Sexualität geknüpfte Erfahrungen, Erlebensweisen und Auseinandersetzungsprozesse auf unterschiedliche Weise den Selbst- und Körperbezug der betroffenen Personen kennzeichnen und sowohl für die Entwicklung der Essstörung als auch für positive Veränderungsprozesse relevant sind. Der Fokus liegt dabei auf normativen Konstruktionen von Weiblichkeit und auf geschlechtlicher Diversität. Die Ergebnisse bieten wichtige Implikationen sowohl für ätiologische als auch für therapeutische Modelle. Abstract The risk for developing an eating disorder differs strongly depending on a person‘s gender identity and sexual orientation. This implicates that gender is relevant for eating disorders in a way that is not yet sufficiently explained by psychological models. By including insights of feminist theory and gender research into the theoretical background of this study it becomes possible to grasp gender as a complex construct that integrates bodily, psychological, social and cultural aspects, and to use this construct to improve the understanding of eating disorders. The empirical process was carried out according to Grounded Theory methodology. 14 narrative interviews with persons formerly affected by anorexia or bulimia were conducted, analyzed and integrated into a theoretical model. Results show that social experiences and psychological processes connected to gender and sexuality characterize the ways in which the affected persons relate to themselves and their bodies and that they are relevant for the development of the eating disorder as well as for positive change. The focus here is on normative constructions of femininity and gender/sexual diversity. Results provide important implications for etiological as well as therapeutic models.

Causal assessment in evidence synthesis: A methodological review of reviews

Article

Full-text available

May 2022

In fields (such as population health) where randomised trials are often lacking, systematic reviews (SRs) can harness diversity in study design, settings and populations to assess the evidence for a putative causal relationship. Some SRs incorporate causal assessment approaches (CAAs), sometimes called ‘causal reviews’, but there is currently no consensus on how these should be conducted. We conducted a methodological review of self‐identifying ‘causal reviews’ within the field of population health to establish: 1) which CAAs are used; 2) differences in how CAAs are implemented; 3) how methods were modified to incorporate causal assessment in SRs. Three databases were searched and two independent reviewers selected reviews for inclusion. Data were extracted using a standardised form and summarised using tabulation and narratively. 53 reviews incorporated CAA: 46/53 applied Bradford Hill viewpoints/criteria, with the remainder taking alternative approaches: Medical Research Council guidance on natural experiments (2/53, 3.8%); realist reviews (2/53, 3.8%); horizontal systematic reviews (1/53, 1.9%); ‘sign test’ of causal mechanisms (1/53, 1.9%); and causal cascade model (1/53, 1.9%). Though most SRs incorporated Bradford Hill, there was variation in application and transparency. There was considerable overlap across the CAAs, with a trade‐off between breadth (BH viewpoints considered a greater range of causal characteristics) and depth (many alternative CAAs focused on one viewpoint). Improved transparency in the implementation of CAA in SRs in needed to ensure their validity and allow robust assessments of causality within evidence synthesis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Feminist embodiment, body talk, and body image among mothers and daughters

Article

Jun 2022
BODY IMAGE

Guided by the developmental theory of embodiment, the current study explored feminist embodiment as a protective factor that may simultaneously promote more positive (and less negative) body talk and body image outcomes among mothers and their young adult daughters. Results from an expanded actor-partner interdependence model (APIM; N = 169 dyads) revealed that our construct of feminist embodiment, which was composed of feminist attitudes, mind-body connection, and psychological empowerment, has potential benefits for both mothers and daughters. Specifically, actor effects indicated that feminist embodiment was positively associated with both mothers’ and daughters’ body image, and it was indirectly associated with both women’s own body image through more positive (and less negative) body talk. Additionally, partner effects revealed a number of direct effects between one’s own body talk and the other’s body image, and also that daughters’ feminist embodiment was indirectly associated mothers’ body image through daughters’ positive body talk. This study highlights the empowering and supportive nature of mother-daughter relationships and suggests the potential body image benefits of women experiencing feminist embodiment.

Essstörungen

Chapter

Jan 2021

Fat Talk in College Women: A Response Styles Perspective

Article

May 2021
HEALTH EDUC BEHAV

This study placed the phenomenon of college women’s fat talk within response styles theory. We predicted that with increasing trait body dissatisfaction there would be an increase in rumination leading to a greater frequency of fat talk. We also predicted that neuroticism would moderate this mediation pathway, and that these effects would occur over and above body size. A survey was conducted on a convenience sample of 212 college women with a mean age of 22.04 years ( SD age = 2.61). A bootstrap analysis utilizing PROCESS software supported the predicted moderated-mediation model. Thus, those college women higher in both trait body dissatisfaction and neuroticism would experience greater rumination and engage more frequently in fat talk. Implications of applying a response styles perspective for future research and fat talk interventions are discussed.

A school‐based eating disorder prevention program (Me, You & Us) for young adolescents in Korea: A 3‐year follow‐up study

Article

Dec 2020

Objective The study aimed to examine the feasibility and long‐term effects of a school‐based eating disorder prevention program for young adolescents in Korea. Method We followed up the students (n = 133) who had participated in the prevention program at 3 years ago to evaluate changes in body esteem and self‐esteem between postintervention and 3‐year follow‐up, with investigating whether gender moderated the effect of time. Results Boys showed no decline in body esteem and self‐esteem from postintervention to 3‐year follow‐up, indicating that the prevention program alleviated decreases in body esteem and self‐esteem over time. Girls showed decreases in body esteem and self‐esteem from postintervention to 3‐years follow‐up. Discussion This study provides evidence supporting the feasibility of the school‐based eating disorder prevention program targeting mixed‐sex, young adolescents in Korea. Given the developmental trajectories of decrease in body esteem and self‐esteem during adolescence, the program may be efficient for boys over time. Boosters and/or complementary prevention approaches across gender are needed.

“IAmSizeSexy”: A health communication body image study

Article

Nov 2020

Peter Paprzycki

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to formatively evaluate a health communication campaign on body image targeting undergraduate female students. Participants A total of 331 students at a large public Midwestern university participated in the study. Methods Researchers used central intercept procedures to recruit students from residence halls. After viewing the campaign materials, students completed an online survey assessing their message endorsement and level of eating disorder symptomology and provided open-ended comments. Results Students appreciated the message and thought it was effective, though students with greater body image concerns were less receptive to the message. Thematic analysis indicated students perceive body image to be a relevant issue, yet they want the university to provide more attention to, and information on, the topic.

Negative effect of negative body image on adolescents

Article

Jan 2020

Thinking about overeating results in higher likelihood of anticipated fat talk

Article

Aug 2019

Perceived overweight/obesity, low resilience, and body size dissatisfaction among adolescents

Article

Aug 2019
OBES RES CLIN PRACT

Objective: The obesity epidemic has been compounded by the stress of weight stigmatization. Resilience helps adolescents achieve positive outcomes during times of stress. This study aimed to determine relationships between overweight/obesity, perceived overweight/obesity, body size dissatisfaction (BSD), and/or resilience using a novel assessment tool among adolescents, and to determine if a modifiable factor such as resilience holds potential for treatments for BSD. Methods: Adolescents, ages 13-21, were recruited from clinics at an academic medical center. Weight, height, demographic characteristics, BSD, and resilience were assessed via questionnaires and health records. A model of predictive variables for BSD was tested, and an adjusted analysis was performed using logistic regression. Results: Eighty-five adolescents participated: 48% overweight/obese, 32% BSD, and 53% low resilience (LR). There was no association between actual and perceived overweight/obesity and LR (P=0.386 and P=0.123, respectively). Perceived overweight/obesity was five times (AOR 5.3; 95% CI=1.6-14.5; P=0.004) and LR was six times (AOR 6.4; 95% CI=1.9-22.4; P=0.003) more likely to be associated with BSD. The strongest sub-component of LR associated with BSD, was low confidence (OR 4.7; 95% CI=1.4-15.2; P=0.008). Conclusions: LR and perceived overweight/obesity are independently associated with BSD. This finding is important because resilience can be improved, thus highlighting a need for future studies involving resilience building interventions to decrease BSD.

Risk and Maintenance Factors for Eating Pathology: A Meta-Analytic Review

Article

Full-text available

Sep 2002

Eric Stice

This meta-analytic review of prospective and experimental studies reveals that several accepted risk factors for eating pathology have not received empirical support (e.g., sexual abuse) or have received contradictory support (e.g., dieting). There was consistent support for less-accepted risk factors(e.g., thin-ideal internalization) as well as emerging evidence for variables that potentiate and mitigate the effects of risk factors(e.g., social support) and factors that predict eating pathology maintenance(e.g., negative affect). In addition, certain multivariate etiologic and maintenance models received preliminary support. However, the predictive power of individual risk and maintenance factors was limited, suggesting it will be important to search for additional risk and maintenance factors, develop more comprehensive multivariate models, and address methodological limitations that attenuate effects.

Eating disorder inventory-3 (EDI-3) Professional Manual. Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.

Technical Report

Full-text available

May 2004

David M. Garner

The EDI-3 consists of 91 items organized onto 12 primary scales, consisting of 3 eating-disorder-specific scales and 9 general psychological scales that are highly relevant to, but not specific to, eating disorders. It also yields six composites: one that is eating-disorder specific (i.e., Eating Disorder Risk) and five that are general integrative psychological constructs (i.e., Ineffectiveness, Interpersonal Problems, Affective Problems, Overcontrol, General Psychological Maladjustment). Psychological Assessment Resources (PAR) owns the copyright for the EDI (EDI, EDI-2, EDI-3, EDI-RF) and the manuals, tests and scoring sheets can be ordered from PAR at www.parinc.com. The EDI is strictly protected under copyright laws. Permissions Requests: Vicki Mark Permissions Specialist vmark@parinc.com Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc. 16204 N. Florida Avenue Lutz, FL 33549

Exploring the Causes and Consequences of Engaging in Fat Talk

Article

Full-text available

May 2012

Fat talk refers to the ritualistic conversations about one's own and others' bodies (e.g., “I'm so fat!” “No you're not, I'm the one who is fat!”). What we say about ourselves has implications for how we make sense of and evaluate ourselves and those around us; thus, the current research presents the results of two studies that sought to identify potential causes and consequences of fat talk. Mutually reinforcing effects were predicted between fat talk and both body image and mental health issues. In two studies, participants completed closed-ended scales reporting their use of fat talk, body satisfaction, perceived pressure to be thin, self-esteem, and depression. Across a three-week span, Study 1 found fat talk to predict lower body satisfaction and higher depression; fat talk also mediated the association between body weight concerns and mental health problems. Study 2 found, across a two-week span, fat talk to predict higher levels of depression and perceived sociocultural pressure to be thin. In addition, low body satisfaction predicted more fat talk. Results suggest that reducing the amount of fat talk weakens its connection to negative aspects of self-concept. Health campaigns, interpersonal strategies, and more positive forms of weight-related communication are discussed as possible ways to potentially reduce the negative effects of fat talk on both body image and mental health issues.

“If You’re Fat, Then I’m Humongous!” Frequency, Content, and Impact of Fat Talk Among College Women

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2010

Fat talk (women speaking negatively about the size and shape of their bodies) is a phenomenon that both reflects and creates body dissatisfaction. Our study investigated the content, frequency, and impact of fat talk among college women. Participants (168 female students at a Midwestern U.S. university) completed online surveys containing fat talk-specific questions and measures of body dissatisfaction and thin-ideal internalization. Most participants reported engaging in fat talk with one third reporting frequent or very frequent fat talk. Evidence indicated a strong third-person effect wherein participants thought they engaged in fat talk less than other college women. Self-reported frequency of fat talk was associated with greater body dissatisfaction and internalization of the thin-ideal but not body mass index (BMI). Despite the association between fat talk and body dissatisfaction, over half of the participants reported that they believe fat talk makes them feel better about their bodies. The most common response to fat talk was denial that the friend was fat, most typically leading to a back-and-forth conversation where each of two healthy weight peers denies the other is fat while claiming to be fat themselves. Results are discussed in terms of the ways in which fat talk may act as an injunctive norm, reinforcing women’s body-related distress.

Assessing Women's Negative Commentary on Their Own Bodies: A Psychometric Investigation of the Negative Body Talk Scale

Article

Full-text available

May 2012

Our article details the development of the self-report Negative Body Talk (NBT) scale and five studies (all conducted with samples of U.S. undergraduate women) supporting the psychometric soundness of scores on this measure. The NBT scale measures women’s tendency to engage in negatively valenced commentary about the weight and shape of their own bodies (including upward comparisons that comprise implicit negative commentary) when speaking with others. Two subscales were identified using a combination of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The body concerns subscale assesses women’s tendency to make comments expressing worries over the size/shape of their bodies. The body comparison subscale assesses women’s tendency to vocalize unfavorable comparisons of their body with the bodies of other women. Scores on the NBT scale demonstrated strong internal consistency and moderate test–retest reliability with these samples of U.S. college women. Evidence of convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity is presented. The NBT scale may be useful in the growing body of research examining how the social norm of women expressing body dissatisfaction in conversation with others both reflects and fuels body image disturbance in women.

Fat Talk Among College Women is Both Contagious and Harmful

Article

Full-text available

May 2011

Fat talk is a social phenomenon during which women speak negatively with each other about the size/shape of their bodies (Nichter and Vuckovich 1994). In this study, exposure to fat talk from peers was experimentally manipulated to determine the effect of hearing fat talk on a woman’s own likelihood of engaging in fat talk and on state body dissatisfaction, guilt, and sadness. Undergraduate women (n = 87; all of a healthy weight) from a Midwestern university in the United States participated in a study ostensibly about discussing magazine advertisements. Two female confederates were present for the discussion. While discussing an advertisement featuring an attractive and thin female model, participants either heard both confederates engage in fat talk, neither confederate engage in fat talk, or the first engage in fat talk and the second challenge the fat talk. Hearing a confederate fat talk made the participants more likely to fat talk themselves (especially if the fat talk went unchallenged) and increased participants’ self-reported state body dissatisfaction and guilt. Participants who engaged in fat talk reported higher levels of self-reported state body dissatisfaction and guilt, compared to participants who did not engage in fat talk (even when controlling for pre-existing trait body dissatisfaction). Participant fat talk mediated the effect of condition on both state body dissatisfaction and guilt. Additionally, correlational analyses revealed that participants with higher levels of trait body dissatisfaction (assessed at a pre-test) were more likely to engage in fat talk (regardless of condition).

“Everybody Knows That Mass Media are/are not [ pick one ] a Cause of Eating Disorders”: A Critical Review of Evidence for a Causal Link Between Media, Negative Body Image, and Disordered Eating in Females

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2009
J SOC CLIN PSYCHOL

This article reviews research pertaining to mass media as a causal risk factor for negative body image and disordered eating in females. The specific purpose is to clarify the impact of mass media by applying seven criteria that extend those of Kraemer et al. (1997) and Stice (2002). Although media effects clearly meet a majority of the criteria, this analysis indicates that, currently, engagement with mass media is probably best considered a variable risk factor that might well be later shown to be a causal risk factor. Recommendations are made for further research, with an emphasis on longitudinal investigations, studies of media literacy as a form of prevention, and clarification of psychosocial processes that moderate and mediate media effects.

Eating Disorder Inventory2: Professional manual

Book

Full-text available

Jun 1991

David M. Garner

The EDI-2 manual is currently out of print but the attached file provides the table of contents for the EDI-3 which includes all of the EDI-2 items as well as the updated scale structure and scoring system for the EDI-3

The role of peer influence on girls' body dissatisfaction and dieting

Article

Full-text available

Feb 2013
EUR REV APPL PSYCHOL

Introduction. – Peer influence is considered a global construct, although the effects of its various dimensions on body dissatisfaction and dieting via internalisation of the thin ideal and social comparison have yet to be analysed. Objective. – The aim of this study was to analyse how the different dimensions of peer influence (i.e., perception of teasing, appearance conversation with friends and peer attributions about the importance of appearance with regard to popularity) affect body dissatisfaction and dieting. Method. – A total of 298 Italian adolescent girls and young women completed a questionnaire assessing different dimensions of peer influence, internalisation of the thin ideal, social comparison, body dissatisfaction and dieting. Results. – The results indicated that peer attributions and appearance conversations with friends affect body dissatisfaction and dieting through internalisation and social comparison. Teasing had a direct effect on girls’ dissatisfaction levels. Conclusions. – The current findings have important preventive and treatment implications. Preventive interventions should not target sociocultural influences as a whole, rather they should analyse the specific dimensions of peer influence, with consideration for the degree to which girls internalise sociocultural messages and engage in social comparison.

Risk Factors for Disordered Eating During Early and Middle Adolescence: Prospective Evidence From Mainland Chinese Boys and Girls

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2011

Despite evidence that sociocultural and psychological factors contribute to disordered eating, researchers have yet to examine the extent to which putative risk factors influence vulnerability for girls versus boys within and across phases of adolescence, particularly in non-Western cultures. In this study, early and middle adolescent samples from China (N = 2,909) completed measures of eating disorder pathology and putative risk factors at baseline and were reassessed 12 months later. Among both younger and older girls, elevations in appearance-focused interactions with friends, negative affect, and body dissatisfaction predicted increases in symptomatology at follow-up. In contrast, there was more discontinuity in risk factors relevant to samples of boys. Although media and friendship influences contributed to later disturbances among early adolescent boys, psychological factors, including body dissatisfaction and negative affect, had stronger effects in the multivariate model for older boys. Implications of finding are discussed in relation to adolescent development and a Chinese cultural context.

Body Dissatisfaction Among Adolescent Boys and Girls: The Effects of Body Mass, Peer Appearance Culture and Internalization of Appearance Ideals

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2011
J YOUTH ADOLESCENCE

Body image dissatisfaction is a significant risk factor in the onset of eating pathology and depression. Therefore, understanding predictors of negative body image is an important focus of investigation. This research sought to examine the contributions of body mass, appearance conversations with friends, peer appearance criticism and internalization of appearance ideals to body dissatisfaction among adolescents. The sample was comprised of 239 (54% female) adolescents, with a mean age of 16 years. Self-report questionnaires were completed on body dissatisfaction, peer appearance conversations and criticism, internalization of appearance ideals, height and weight. For girls and boys, body mass, appearance conversations with friends, peer appearance criticism and internalized appearance ideals emerged as significant predictors of body dissatisfaction. Gender moderated the effect of body mass on body dissatisfaction. Internalization mediated the relationship between peer appearance conversations and criticism, and body dissatisfaction. These findings suggest that while body mass exerts a differential risk for body dissatisfaction among boys and girls, internalisation may represent a key psychological process that underpins body dissatisfaction among both boys and girls.

Coming to term with the terms of risk

Article

Full-text available

May 1997
ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT

Terms such as risk, risk factors, and especially the term cause are inconsistently and imprecisely used, fostering scientific miscommunication and misleading research and policy. Clarifying such terms is the essential first step. We define risk and a risk factor (protective factor) and their potency, set out the conceptual basis of the methods by which risk factors are identified and potency demonstrated, and propose criteria for establishing the status of a risk factor as a fixed or variable marker or a causal risk factor. All definitions are based on the state of scientific knowledge (empirical documentation), rather than on hypotheses, speculations, or beliefs. We discuss common approaches and pitfalls and give a psychiatric research example. Imprecise reports can impede the search for understanding the cause and course of any disease and also may be a basis of inadequate clinical or policy decision-making. The issues in risk research are much too important to tolerate less than precise terminology or the less than rigorous research reporting that results from imprecise and inconsistent terminology.

Friendship Clique and Peer Influences on Body Image Concerns, Dietary Restraint, Extreme Weight-Loss Behaviors, and Binge Eating in Adolescent Girls

Article

Full-text available

May 1999

This study explored friendship variables in relation to body image, dietary restraint, extreme weight-loss behaviors (EWEBs), and binge eating in adolescent girls. From 523 girls, 79 friendship cliques were identified using social network analysis. Participants completed questionnaires that assessed body image concerns, eating, friendship relations, and psychological family, and media variables. Similarity was greater for within than for between friendship cliques for body image concerns, dietary restraint, and EWLBs, but not for binge eating. Cliques high in body image concerns and dieting manifested these concerns in ways consistent with a high weight/shape-preoccupied subculture. Friendship attitudes contributed significantly to the prediction of individual body image concern and eating behaviors. Use of EWLBs by friends predicted an individual's own level of use.

Trim and Fill: A Simple Funnel-Plot-Based Method of Testing and Adjusting for Publication Bias in Meta-Analysis

Article

Full-text available

Jul 2000

We study recently developed nonparametric methods for estimating the number of missing studies that might exist in a meta-analysis and the effect that these studies might have had on its outcome. These are simple rank-based data augmentation techniques, which formalize the use of funnel plots. We show that they provide effective and relatively powerful tests for evaluating the existence of such publication bias. After adjusting for missing studies, we find that the point estimate of the overall effect size is approximately correct and coverage of the effect size confidence intervals is substantially improved, in many cases recovering the nominal confidence levels entirely. We illustrate the trim and fill method on existing meta-analyses of studies in clinical trials and psychometrics.

The Body-Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2001

Body esteem (BE) refers to self-evaluations of one's body or appearance. This article outlines a BE questionnaire for adolescents and adults that has 3 subscales: BE-Appearance (general feelings about appearance), BE-Weight (weight satisfaction), and BE-Attribution (evaluations attributed to others about one's body and appearance). The subscales have high internal consistency and 3-month test-retest reliability. Females scored lower than males on BE-Weight and BE-Appearance. BE-Weight was the only subscale uniquely related to weight, especially in females, with heavy individuals tending to be dissatisfied with their weight. BE-Appearance was the only subscale that consistently predicted self-esteem. BE-Appearance and BE-Weight covaried more with Neeman and Harter's (1986) Appearance subscale than with other self-esteem subscales; BE-Attribution covaried more with social self-esteem subscales than did BE-Appearance and BE-Weight.

Children's figure ratings: Relationship to self‐esteem and negative stereotyping

Article

Jan 1998
INT J EAT DISORDER

Objective Numerous studies have used figure ratings to demonstrate substantially greater body dissatisfaction among women than men. The present study aimed to investigate gender differences in body dissatisfaction in younger children. Method: A children's version of the Figure Rating Scale was administered to 140 children between the ages of 7 and 12 years. Children also completed measures of self‐esteem and negative stereotyping of fat people. Results: Irrespective of age, girls rated their ideal figure as smaller than the one they considered most attractive to boys, and as substantially smaller than their current figure. For boys, there was no difference in ratings. Level of body dissatisfaction correlated negatively with self‐esteem and positively with negative stereotyping for boys, but not for girls. Discussion: The results are consistent with body dissatisfaction being “a normative discontent” for young girls as well as for adult women. © 1998 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 23: 83–88, 1998.

Fat Talk: What Girls and Their Parents Say about Dieting

Book

Jun 2009

Mimi Nichter

Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences

Book

Jan 1988

J. Cohen

Children's figure ratings: Relationship to self-esteem and negative stereotyping

Article

Jan 1998
INT J EAT DISORDER

Numerous studies have used figure ratings to demonstrate substantially greater body dissatisfaction among women than men. The present study aimed to investigate gender differences in body dissatisfaction in younger children. Method: A children's version of the Figure Rating Scale was administered to 140 children between the ages of 7 and 12 years. Children also completed measures of self-esteem and negative stereotyping of fat people. Results: Irrespective of age, girls rated their ideal figure as smaller than the one they considered most attractive to boys, and as substantially smaller than their current figure. For boys, there was no difference in ratings. Level of body dissatisfaction correlated negatively with self-esteem and positively with negative stereotyping for boys, but not for girls. Discussion: The results are consistent with body dissatisfaction being “a normative discontent” for young girls as well as for adult women. © 1998 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 23: 83–88, 1998.

Regression Methods to Detect Publication and Other Bias in Meta-Analysis

Article

May 2006

Friendship Clique and Peer Influences on Body Image Concerns, Dietary Restraint, Extreme Weight-Loss Behaviors, and Binge Eating in Adolescent Girls

Article

May 1999

This study explored friendship variables in relation to body image, dietary restraint, extreme weight-loss behaviors (EWLBs), and binge eating in adolescent girls. From 523 girls, 79 friendship cliques were identified using social network analysis. Participants completed questionnaires that assessed body image concerns, eating, friendship relations, and psychological, family, and media variables. Similarity was greater for within than for between friendship cliques for body image concerns, dietary restraint, and EWLBs, but not for binge eating. Cliques high in body image concerns and dieting manifested these concerns in ways consistent with a high weight/shape-preoccupied subculture. Friendship attitudes contributed significantly to the prediction of individual body image concern and eating behaviors. Use of EWLBs by friends predicted an individual's own level of use.

Coming to Terms With the Terms of Risk

Article

Apr 1997
ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT

Helena Chmura Kraemer

Publication Bias in Meta-Analysis: Prevention, Assessment and Adjustments

Article

Jan 2005

Publication bias is the tendency to decide to publish a study based on the results of the study, rather than on the basis of its theoretical or methodological quality. It can arise from selective publication of favorable results, or of statistically significant results. This threatens the validity of conclusions drawn from reviews of published scientific research. Meta-analysis is now used in numerous scientific disciplines, summarizing quantitative evidence from multiple studies. If the literature being synthesised has been affected by publication bias, this in turn biases the meta-analytic results, potentially producing overstated conclusions. Publication Bias in Meta-Analysis examines the different types of publication bias, and presents the methods for estimating and reducing publication bias, or eliminating it altogether. Written by leading experts, adopting a practical and multidisciplinary approach. Provides comprehensive coverage of the topic including: • Different types of publication bias, • Mechanisms that may induce them, • Empirical evidence for their existence, • Statistical methods to address them, • Ways in which they can be avoided. • Features worked examples and common data sets throughout. • Explains and compares all available software used for analysing and reducing publication bias. • Accompanied by a website featuring software, data sets and further material. Publication Bias in Meta-Analysis adopts an inter-disciplinary approach and will make an excellent reference volume for any researchers and graduate students who conduct systematic reviews or meta-analyses. University and medical libraries, as well as pharmaceutical companies and government regulatory agencies, will also find this invaluable.

Stata Statistical Software: Release MP 10.1

Article

Jan 2009

StataCorp

Estimating Effect Sizes From Pretest-Posttest-Control Group Designs

Article

Apr 2008

Scott B Morris

Previous research has recommended several measures of effect size for studies with repeated measurements in both treatment and control groups. Three alternate effect size estimates were compared in terms of bias, precision, and robustness to heterogeneity of variance. The results favored an effect size based on the mean pre-post change in the treatment group minus the mean pre-post change in the control group, divided by the pooled pretest standard deviation.

Body Image and the Appearance Culture Among Adolescent Girls and Boys

Article

May 2004

This research evaluates the contributions of three dimensions of appearance culture (appearance magazine exposure, appearance conversations with friends, and peer appearance criticism) and body mass index (BMI) to internalization of appearance ideals and body image dissatisfaction. Four hundred thirty-three girls and 347 boys in Grades 7 through 10 responded to several measures on a self-report questionnaire. The results of path analyses indicated that Internalization mediated the relationship between Appearance Conversations With Friends and Body Dissatisfaction for both boys and girls. In addition, Internalization, Peer Appearance Criticism, and BMI made direct contributions to Body Dissatisfaction for boys and girls, although the strength of the relationships varied by gender. The proposed mediated relation between Appearance Magazine Exposure and Body Dissatisfaction was confirmed only for the girls. The findings provide needed information about the contributions of the peer appearance culture to internalization and body image disturbances for adolescent boys and girls.

Development and validation of the Fat Talk Questionnaire

Article

Nov 2012

Fat talk refers to negative body-related conversations between girls or young women. This research aimed to use qualitative data from young women to guide development of a quantitative fat talk measure. In Study 1, a preliminary 62-item questionnaire was developed and administered to 200 female participants. Item analysis resulted in the elimination of items, yielding a final questionnaire with 14 items. Principal component analysis of this questionnaire indicated a single factor. In Study 2, 95 female participants completed the newly developed Fat Talk Questionnaire and theoretically related (e.g., body image) and unrelated (e.g., social desirability) constructs. Additionally, 49 male participants completed the questionnaire to examine known groups validity. In Study 3, 54 participants completed the Fat Talk Questionnaire on two occasions to assess temporal stability. The results showed that the Fat Talk Questionnaire is reliable and valid. The Fat Talk Questionnaire may have important utility in future research.

The Effects of Age, Gender, and Economic Status on Generosity in the Presence of Exchange: A Pilot Study

Article

May 2006

In this field experiment, a confederate asked participants to provide a quarter for the confederate to make a telephone call. In the experimental condition, based on the concept of exchange, the confederate offered participants twenty-five pennies for the quarter. The researchers found that there was a significant difference in whether or not the confederate offered the pennies. Eighty-five percent of the participants complied when offered the pennies, while only 35 percent complied without the offer of exchange. Gender was not a factor. Participants over sixty-years-old complied more often than any other age group. Economic status was a factor in that those in the middle range tended to comply more often than those at either the low end or the upper end.

Exacting Beauty: Theory, Assessment, and Treatment of Body Image Disturbance

Article

Jan 1999

Body image issues are at the core of major eating disorders. They are also important phenomena in and of themselves. Kevin Thompson and his colleagues provide an overview of a wide variety of body image issues, ranging from reconstructive surgery to eating disorders. The book will be a valuable resource for even the most established researchers in the field, as it is filled with data, information about assessment tools, and a thorough treatment of virtually all major theoretical perspectives on the development of body image and their implications for treatment and prevention. At the same time, the authors' decision to include numerous experiential anecdotes makes the book easily accessible to those just entering the field who are trying to understand the nature of these phenomena. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Interactions Among High School Cross‐Country Runners and Coaches: Creating a Cultural Context for Athletes' Embodied Experiences

Article

Jul 2009

This study explored the culture of a high school girls' cross-country team. Of interest was whether and how interactions with coaches and athletes contributed to athletes'body-related attitudes and behaviors. Data were collected via participant observation and in-depth interviews. Constant comparison processes were used to analyze the data. Findings revealed a team culture emphasizing values of unity/harmony and healthfulness. In turn, these values framed individual experiences of the body and team interactions. All athletes expressed relatively positive feelings about the body, and none of the athletes reported regularly dieting. Two patterns of body-related athlete-athlete interactions emerged: fat talk and deferential avoidance. Three patterns of body-related coach-athlete interactions were identified: verbal interventions for regulation of athlete attitudes and behaviors, deferential avoidance, and condemnations and censures. Analyses suggested that in a variety of ways, these interaction patterns set a context for the athletes' body-related attitudes and behaviors.

Peer influences on body image and dieting awareness in young girls

Article

Dec 2010

Aim. This study aimed to explore the role of peer influences in the development of body dissatisfaction and dieting awareness in young girls. Method. A sample of 81 girls (aged 5–8 years) were recruited from the first 3 years of formal schooling. Girls were individually interviewed. Body dissatisfaction was assessed by means of figure rating preferences, and dieting awareness by responses to a brief scenario. A number of sources of peer influence were also assessed. Results. Year 2 girls were found to display significantly greater body dissatisfaction than younger girls. All girls, irrespective of age, preferred a similar thin ideal figure. Year level constituted the only significant predictor of dieting awareness, with older girls demonstrating a greater understanding of dieting than younger girls. Importantly, girls' perception of their peers' body dissatisfaction emerged as the strongest predictor of their own level of body dissatisfaction. Conclusions. Body dissatisfaction in girls first emerges during the junior primary school years, between ages 5 and 7 years, and appears to be a function of shared peer norms for thinness.

Appearance Culture in Nine‐ to 12‐Year‐Old Girls: Media and Peer Influences on Body Dissatisfaction

Article

Oct 2006
SOC DEV

Little research has investigated sociocultural factors in the development of body dissatisfaction in preadolescent girls. This study examined the combined influence of media and peer factors. The participants were 100 girls aged nine to 12 years. The girls completed questionnaire measures of media exposure (television and magazines), peer influences (appearance norms, appearance conversations), internalization and body dissatisfaction. Their height and weight were also measured. About half (49 percent) of the girls displayed a desire to be thinner. The influence of sociocultural factors was confirmed in addition to biological determinants, such as body mass index. Their exposure to appearance-focused media was not directly related to their body dissatisfaction, but was indirectly related via their conversations about appearance among peers. The path analysis showed that peer appearance conversations demonstrated a significant relationship with internalization of thin ideals, which was, in turn, significantly related to body dissatisfaction. Like their adolescent counterparts, preadolescent girls are also exposed to appearance ideals presented in the media and manifested among peers. The results provided evidence for the existence of an ‘appearance culture’ consisting of interrelated media and peer influences among girls as young as nine to 12 years of age.

Adolescent Boys and Body Image: Weight and Muscularity Concerns as Dual Pathways to Body Dissatisfaction

Article

Dec 2005

This research evaluated a dual pathway model for body dissatisfaction among adolescent boys. The study provides empirical support for the importance of distinguishing between weight and muscularity concerns in understanding male body image. A total of 128 boys from grades 8 and 11 completed a self-report questionnaire. Results indicated that weight and muscularity concerns each made unique contributions to body dissatisfaction and were associated with distinct individual and peer context characteristics. Weight concern was associated with elevated BMI and more frequent appearance conversations with friends. Muscularity concern was significantly greater among boys who reported more frequent muscle-building conversations, had lower BMI, and were older. The results support the importance of distinguishing between and assessing both muscularity and weight concerns in the development of body image dissatisfaction among adolescent boys.

Who is most likely to fat talk? A social comparison perspective

Article

Jun 2012

Negative talk about food, weight, or the body that occurs commonly among women -fat talk - is gaining increasing attention. Whereas its negative eating pathology and body esteem correlates have received continued empirical validation, what is not yet known is who is most likely to fat talk. We propose that social comparison processes underlie and motivate much of fat talk. In a sample of 143 college women, we found evidence for the role of social comparison. First, having a stronger tendency to socially compare directly predicts fat talk. Second, as a woman's body image concerns increase, her likelihood of engaging in fat talk increases, and this is intensified if she has a greater tendency to socially compare. Finally, social comparison propensity begins to exert its exacerbating effects at surprisingly low levels of body image concern. Results are discussed in terms of the advantages of using a social comparison perspective to better understand fat talk.

Body Image Concerns in Young Girls: The Role of Peers and Media Prior to Adolescence

Article

Apr 2006

Peer and media influences have been identified as important conveyors of socio-cultural ideals in adolescent and preadolescent samples. This study aims to explore peer and media influences in the body image concerns and dieting awareness of younger girls, aged 5–8 years. A sample of 128 girls was recruited from the first 4 years of formal schooling. Individual interviews were conducted to assess the aspects of body image, as well as dieting awareness by means of a brief scenario. A number of sources of peer and media influence were examined. It was found that by 6 years of age, a large number of girls desired a thinner ideal figure. Both peer and media influences emerged as significant predictors of body image and dieting awareness. Specifically, girls’ perceptions of their peers’ body dissatisfaction predicted their own level of body dissatisfaction and dieting awareness. Watching music television shows and reading appearance-focused magazines predicted dieting awareness. In particular, girls who looked at magazines aimed at adult women had greater dissatisfaction with their appearance. Thus, the present study highlights that girls aged 5–8 years of age are already living in an appearance culture in which both peers and the media influence body image and dieting awareness.

Gender and Age Group Differences in Mass Media and Interpersonal Influences on Body Dissatisfaction Among Chinese Adolescents

Article

Jan 2011

Despite evidence that middle adolescent girls (ages 14–17) experience more body dissatisfaction than early adolescent girls (ages 10–13) or boys at these ages, researchers have rarely considered whether such differences are observed regarding factors related to body dissatisfaction, particularly within non-Western samples. To address this issue, gender and age group differences in media and interpersonal influences on body dissatisfaction were assessed among early and middle adolescents living in Chongqing, China. In Study 1, 595 boys and 648 girls completed self report measures of demographics, public self-consciousness and appearance-based social pressure, comparisons, and conversations. Compared to boys, girls reported more appearance pressure from mass media and close interpersonal networks (friends, family), appearance comparisons with peers, and appearance conversations with friends; these effects were qualified by interactions with age group, indicating media and interpersonal factors were more prominent in the lives of middle adolescent girls than other groups. Effects were observed independent of body mass index (BMI) and public self-consciousness. In Study 2, 738 girls and 661 boys completed the same measures and a body dissatisfaction scale. By and large, gender and age differences were replicated. Middle adolescent girls also reported more body dissatisfaction than peers did. Perceived appearance pressure from mass media and interpersonal ties were both implicated in mediation analyses to explain this gender × age group effect. KeywordsBody dissatisfaction–Appearance pressure–Gender–Adolescents–China

The Peer Appearance Culture During Adolescence: Gender and Body Mass Variations

Article

Apr 2006

The purpose of this research was to examine gender and body mass, as factors linked to perceived experiences within the peer appearance culture. The sample included 215 girls and 200 boys who were either in 7th grade or 10th grade. Students provided self-reports on experiences in three domains: appearance culture among friends (appearance conversations and diet/muscle talk), peer evaluations (peer appearance pressure, appearance teasing, and vicarious peer teasing), and peer acceptance concerns (appearance-based acceptance, peer appearance comparison). The results indicated that although girls reported more appearance conversations, boys perceived more appearance pressure and teasing. Boys also admitted that they talked with friends about muscle building at a rate greater than girls talked about dieting. BMI showed distinct gender patterns. BMI was a key attribute that unified the experiences within the appearance culture for overweight girls. Among the boys, BMI was associated with differentiated experiences for underweight and overweight participants.

Does Body Image Play a Role in Risky Sexual Behavior and Attitudes?

Article

Apr 2006

Body image and sexuality, both physically-oriented domains of the self, are likely linked, but few studies have examined their associations. In the present investigation, we studied emerging adult undergraduates (ages 17–19), focusing specifically on risky sexual behaviors and attitudes. Participants (N=434) completed a survey on body image, lifetime sexual behavior, sexual double standard attitudes, and attitudes about condoms. Males who evaluated their appearance more positively and who were more oriented toward their appearance were more likely to report risky sexual behavior, yet females who evaluated their appearance more positively were less likely to report risky sexual behavior. For most sexual attitudes, patterns did not differ by gender. Individuals who were more oriented toward their appearance believed more in the sexual double standard, and those who had more positive evaluations of their appearance perceived fewer barriers to using condoms. Intervention implications are discussed.

The relationships between fat talk, body dissatisfaction, and drive for thinness: Perceived stress as a moderator

Article

Apr 2012

Although body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness are commonplace in college-aged women, their relationships with fat talk and stress are understudied. This study examined (a) whether fat talk predicts body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness and (b) whether stress moderates these relationships. Results from self-report questionnaires completed by 121 female college students revealed that fat talk and perceived stress were significantly positively correlated with body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness. Although fat talk was a significant independent predictor of body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness, stress moderated these relationships such that they were stronger at lower stress levels. Although contrary to predictions, these results are logical when means are considered. Results suggest that fat talk positively predicts body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness in students with relatively lower stress levels, but does not for students under high stress because mean levels of these constructs are all already high.

Factor structure of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-3 (SATAQ-3) among adolescent boys in China

Article

Sep 2010

There is considerable evidence that mass media portrayals of body image contribute to body dissatisfaction, yet the assessment of perceived media influences has been examined fleetingly in highly populated, non-Western cultures, particularly among young males. This research examined the factor structure of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-3 (SATAQ-3) among adolescent boys in China. In an initial exploratory factor analysis (N=719), a four factor solution emerged with components reflecting General Pressure-Internalization, Sources of Appearance Information, Pressure-Internalization of an Athletic Ideal, and Pressure to be Thin. Subsequently, confirmatory factor analyses in a new sample (n=749) assessed fits of the derived four factor model, a three factor variant, and alternatives reflecting "Western" and "Malay" SATAQ-3 solutions. The derived four factor solution had the most acceptable structure across several fit indices. Patterns of correlation with other self-report measures also provided preliminary support for the validity of the derived solution.

Article

Sep 2010

A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between appearance and weight-based teasing and three outcome measures: body dissatisfaction, restrictive eating, and bulimic behaviors. Four meta-analyses were conducted. Fifty effect sizes (N=10,618) resulted in a moderate effect size of .39 for the relationship between weight teasing and body dissatisfaction; 24 effect sizes (N=7190) resulted in an effect size of .32 for the relationship between appearance teasing and body dissatisfaction; 20 effect sizes (N=4792) resulted in an effect size of .35 for the relationship between weight teasing and dietary restraint; and 22 effect sizes (N=5091) resulted in an effect size of .36 for the relationship between weight teasing and bulimic behaviors. Significant moderators that emerged were teasing measure type, publication type, study type, age group, and gender. The findings offer further support for the inclusion of strategies in body image and eating disorders' prevention and intervention programs that focus on handling negative, appearance-related commentary.

Statistical power ANALYSIS for the Behavioral sciences

Article

Jan 1988
J AM STAT ASSOC

Jacob Cohen

Incluye bibliografía e índice

Examination of a sociocultural model of excessive exercise among male and female adolescents

Article

Mar 2010

Development and psychometric evaluation of a quantitative measure of "fat talk"

Article

Oct 2009

Based on her anthropological research, Nichter (2000) concluded that it is normative for many American girls to engage in body self-disparagement in the form of "fat talk." The purpose of the present two studies was to develop a quantitative measure of fat talk. A series of 17 scenarios were created in which "Naomi" is talking with a female friend(s) and there is an expression of fat talk. College women respondents rated the frequency with which they would behave in a similar way as the women in each scenario. A nine-item one-factor scale was determined through principal components analysis and its scores yielded evidence of internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability over a five-week time period, construct validity, discriminant validity, and incremental validity in that it predicted unique variance in body shame and eating disorder symptoms above and beyond other measures of self-objectification.

An Evaluation of A Body Image Intervention Based On Risk Factors for Body Dissatisfaction: A Controlled Study with Adolescent Girls

Article

Apr 2009
INT J EAT DISORDER

In this research we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a theoretically derived school-based body image intervention for young adolescent girls. Participants were 194, female Grade 7 students from two Catholic Secondary Schools in Melbourne, Australia. One school was allocated to the intervention group and the other school was allocated to the control group. The intervention group participated in three 50-min body image intervention sessions, while the control group received their usual classes. All participants completed baseline, post-intervention and 3-month follow-up questionnaires. The intervention group reported significantly more positive outcomes than the control group on measures of intervention topic knowledge, risk factors for body dissatisfaction, body image, dietary restraint and self-esteem, at post-intervention and follow-up. This study provides support for the efficacy of a theoretically derived school-based body image intervention with adolescent girls.

Critical appraisal of published research: Introductory guidelines

Article

Jun 1991

Development and Validation of a New Body-Image Assessment Scale

Article

May 1995

This investigation reports the development and validation of a new and improved body-image assessment tool, the Contour Drawing Rating Scale, consisting of nine male and nine female contour drawings. The drawings were designed with detailed features, are of precisely graduated sizes, and are easily split at the waist for accurate upper and lower body comparisons. Initial evidence of the scale's reliability and validity supports its use as a measure of body-size perception.

Why adolescent girls watch their weight? An interview study examining sociocultural pressures to be thin

Article

May 1997
J PSYCHOSOM RES

Body concerns, dieting, and weight watching were examined in 30 year 10 adolescent girls. Semistructured interviews consisting of open-ended and rated questions assessed descriptions of and reasons for weight loss attempts, with an emphasis on noting sociocultural influences. Audiotaped and transcribed interviews were assessed for themes, coded and rated. Findings suggested a strong role of sociocultural influences leading to both unhealthy and healthy body attitudes and eating behaviors. Media and fashion were reported to exert the strongest pressures to be thin for subjects. While a few subjects reported direct pressures to diet from friends and parents, indirect social influences were more common. These influences included social comparison, joint dieting and avoidance of social disapproval.

Children's Figure Ratings: Relationship to self-esteem and negative stereotyping

Article

Feb 1998

Numerous studies have used figure ratings to demonstrate substantially greater body dissatisfaction among women than men. The present study aimed to investigate gender differences in body dissatisfaction in younger children. A children's version of the Figure Rating Scale was administered to 140 children between the ages of 7 and 12 years. Children also completed measures of self-esteem and negative stereotyping of fat people. Irrespective of age, girls rated their ideal figure as smaller than the one they considered most attractive to boys, and as substantially smaller than their current figure. For boys, there was no difference in ratings. Level of body dissatisfaction correlated negatively with self-esteem and positively with negative stereotyping for boys, but not for girls. The results are consistent with body dissatisfaction being "a normative discontent" for young girls as well as for adult women.

How Do Risk Factors Work Together? Mediators, Moderators, and Independent, Overlapping, and Proxy Risk Factors

Article

Jul 2001

The authors developed a methodological basis for investigating how risk factors work together. Better methods are needed for understanding the etiology of disorders, such as psychiatric syndromes, that presumably are the result of complex causal chains. Approaches from psychology, epidemiology, clinical trials, and basic sciences were synthesized. The authors define conceptually and operationally five different clinically important ways in which two risk factors may work together to influence an outcome: as proxy, overlapping, and independent risk factors and as mediators and moderators. Classifying putative risk factors into these qualitatively different types can help identify high-risk individuals in need of preventive interventions and can help inform the content of such interventions. These methods may also help bridge the gaps between theory, the basic and clinical sciences, and clinical and policy applications and thus aid the search for early diagnoses and for highly effective preventive and treatment interventions.

Is Fat Talking a Causal Risk Factor for Body Dissatisfaction? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

No full-text available

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