Abstract
IntroductionResearch indicates that body image disturbance is associated with poorer psychosocial outcomes for individuals with physical health conditions, with poorest body image reported for individuals with visible bodily changes. Using White’s (2000) theoretical model of body image the present paper aimed to examine the nature of these relationships in two distinct groups: individuals with an amputation and individuals with diabetes. It was hypothesized that body image disturbance would be associated with psychosocial outcomes and would mediate the relationships between self-ideal discrepancy and personal investment in psychosocial outcomes.MethodsIndividuals with diabetes (N = 212) and individuals with an amputation (N = 227) provided details regarding their medical condition, and completed measures assessing body image, investment, self-ideal discrepancy, depression, anxiety, and quality of life. Structural equation and invariance modeling were used to test the model paths and the invariance of the model.ResultsAs hypothesized, body image disturbance was found to mediate the relationships between personal investment and psychosocial outcome, and between self-ideal discrepancy and psychosocial outcome. The predicted paths were invariant across groups, although the model accounted for more variance in people with an amputation than people with diabetes.ConclusionBody image disturbance, personal investment, and self-ideal discrepancy are important factors contributing to psychosocial outcome for individuals with diabetes and individuals with an amputation. These findings not only confirm the validity of the model in these two groups, but they emphasize the importance of targeting body image in future psychological interventions for individuals with a health condition.
Highlights
Research indicates that body image disturbance is associated with poorer psychosocial outcomes for individuals with physical health conditions, with poorest body image reported for individuals with visible bodily changes
Very little of this research has been driven by theoretical models that have asked questions about the nature of body image disturbance and the way in which body image factors likely contribute to poorer psychosocial outcomes (Feragen and Stock, 2018)
Individuals with diabetes had a mean age of 64.4 years (SD = 12.35; ranging from 21 to 89 years); the majority were male (60%), with Type 2 diabetes (78%), and an average body mass index (BMI) in the overweight range (M = 29.21; SD = 7.50)
Summary
Research indicates that body image disturbance is associated with poorer psychosocial outcomes for individuals with physical health conditions, with poorest body image reported for individuals with visible bodily changes. People who have negative selfschema and are invested in their bodily appearance become invested in the changed body part, which contributes to the development of the self-ideal discrepancy. White (2000) proposes that negative body image schemas, investment in appearance and a self-ideal discrepancy lead to the activation of negative appearance-related assumptions, negative automatic thoughts and/or images, maladaptive behaviors, and emotional distress. Both emotional distress and unhelpful behaviors (such as avoidance) in turn maintain the negative schemas and investment in body ideals
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