Abstract
Aging typically manifests itself in a variety of physical and cognitive alterations and challenges that are not always easily accepted. Feeling dissatisfied with these changes can also affect the mood and self-esteem of older people causing body image problems. The present study focuses on body satisfaction in Spanish older people (176 participants; M and SD = 64.03 ± 1 8.06; age range 50 to over 75) by employing experimental research to test whether psychosocial interventions may have a positive impact. Our aims are threefold: (1) To describe the body satisfaction of older people considering intervening variables, such as age, gender, having a stable partner, time of the year, and place of residence; (2) to compare body satisfaction improvement in older people participating in a specific body satisfaction program designed for this purpose versus a non-specific program run by the Spanish Red Cross; and (3) to examine the relationship between age, gender, having a stable partner, time of the year, place of residence, body satisfaction and participating in the experimental condition. The IMAGINA specific body image program yielded a significant improvement in body satisfaction when compared with the non-specific program in both men and women regardless of marital status and in some age groups: 50 to 54 years old, 60 to 64 years old, and 65 to 69. Male participants, as well as singles, were more satisfied with their bodies, and the contrary was true for divorced and separated. The IMAGINA program was particularly useful in participants with more body image problems. As shown, the pressure to fit beauty standards and related problems do not go away with age, a fact that is embodied and experienced differently in men and women.
Highlights
The way we see our bodies influences how we feel about ourselves, and when our perceptions are negative, these can cause low self-esteem and mood problems
Our aims are: (1) to describe body satisfaction of participants over 50 years old considering their age, gender, having a stable partner, time of the year, place of residence as intervening variables, and (2) To analyze body satisfaction improvement in older and mature people participating in a specific program on body satisfaction versus the improvement obtained in a non-specific program, and (3) to examine the relationship between age, gender, marital status, time of year, place of residence and body satisfaction regarding the experimental condition
The results of the paired samples test indicate that the improvement is higher in the IMAGINA body image program than in the non-specific intervention (M = 6.75 versus M = 0.75), and this result is statistically significant in the experimental condition (t = 6.782, p = 0.000)
Summary
The way we see our bodies influences how we feel about ourselves, and when our perceptions are negative, these can cause low self-esteem and mood problems. We focus on body satisfaction, i.e., the subjective image of one’s own body in older people This evaluation is regarded as unfavorable when it reduces personal confidence and makes someone feel bad about his/herself, and positive when it makes people feel good about themselves as well as comfortable when interacting with others (Tylka and Wood-Barcalow, 2015; Sánchez-Cabrero et al, 2019). Individuals in their fifties tend to experience body satisfaction problems as a result of bodily changes related to growing older (Hofmeier et al, 2017; Cameron et al, 2019). As Clarke and Korotchenko (2011) pointed out, all aging signs are embodied, and it is in our mind that we experience age, but it is through our bodies that we feel the psychosocial and physical consequences of growing older
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