Effects of induced rumination on body dissatisfaction: Is there any difference between men and women?

Abstract

Background and objectivesRumination is a factor in the development and maintenance of body dissatisfaction. However, no study has yet investigated the impact of the type of rumination on body image. The first aim of this study was to examine whether the induction of analytic-abstract vs. concrete-experiential rumination affects body dissatisfaction following an induction of negative body image. The second objective was to examine gender differences in these effects. MethodsFollowing induction of negative body image, 102 university undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions—distraction, concrete rumination or abstract rumination. ResultsAs expected, there were significant main effects of gender and condition, and a significant interaction between gender and condition on change in body dissatisfaction. In women abstract rumination predicted the highest increase in body dissatisfaction, whereas concrete rumination predicted the highest increase in body dissatisfaction in men. LimitationsGiven that our sample consisted of undergraduate students, our findings cannot be generalized to clinical sample suffering from eating disorder. ConclusionsThe different types of rumination seem to impact differentially body dissatisfaction in men and women.