A Structural Model for Weight Satisfaction, Self-Consciousness and Women's Use of Clothing in Mood Enhancement

Abstract

Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the causal relationships among three variables: women's weight satisfaction, women's self-consciousness (public self-consciousness, private self-consciousness, and social anxiety), and women's use of clothing in mood enhancement. Data from 344 females were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis and structural modeling using LISREL 8. The results indicated that weight satisfaction had direct, negative correlations with all three dimensions of self consciousness. In addition, weight satisfaction had an indirect, negative correlation with social anxiety through both public and private self-consciousness. Both public self consciousness and private self-consciousness were positively correlated with women's use of clothing in enhancing their mood. As hypothesized, no direct effects were noted between weight satisfaction and women's use of clothing in mood enhancement: the effects of women's weight satisfaction were primarily indirect through public and private self-consciousness. Social anxiety was shown to have no direct correlation with women's use of clothing in enhancing their daily mood.