Abstract
PurposeBody weight dissatisfaction (BWD) and visual body perception are specific aspects that can influence the own body image, and that can concur with the development or the maintenance of specific psychopathological dimensions of different psychiatric disorders. The sexual orientation is a fundamental but understudied aspect in this field, and, for this reason, the purpose of this study is to improve knowledge about the relationships among BWD, visual body size-perception, and sexual orientation.MethodsA total of 1033 individuals participated in an online survey. Physical comparison, depression, and self-esteem was evaluated, as well as sexual orientation and the presence of an eating disorder. A Figure Rating Scale was used to assess different valences of body weight, and mediation analyses were performed to investigated specific relationships between psychological aspects.ResultsBisexual women and gay men reported significantly higher BWD than other groups (p < 0.001); instead, higher body misperception was present in gay men (p = 0.001). Physical appearance comparison mediated the effect of sexual orientation in both BWD and perceptual distortion. No difference emerged between women with a history of eating disorders and without, as regards the value of body weight attributed to attractiveness, health, and presence on social media.ConclusionThis study contributes to understanding the relationship between sexual orientations and body image representation and evaluation. Physical appearance comparisons should be considered as critical psychological factors that can improve and affect well-being. The impact on subjects with high levels of eating concerns is also discussed.Level of evidenceLevel III: case–control analytic study.
Highlights
The way people perceive their bodies is an essential aspect of daily intrapersonal and interpersonal interactions; a negative body image is associated with eating disorders (ED), adverse sexual experiences, low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety [1,2,3]
The participants were recruited via online invitations through social media (i.e., Italian Facebook groups related to gender, physical activities, and cultural associations linked to civil rights; both open and close groups) and LGBTQ + group mailing lists from the area of the Veneto Region (Italy), through those responsible for managing personal data, without the involvement of researchers
Data from participants who did not complete the survey were excluded from the study, and none of the participants provided gender-mixed answers
Summary
The way people perceive their bodies is an essential aspect of daily intrapersonal and interpersonal interactions; a negative body image is associated with eating disorders (ED), adverse sexual experiences, low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety [1,2,3]. The body size estimation accuracy is linked to top/down cognitive mechanisms and cognitive schemas that could bias the recall from memory of one’s own body [18,19,20] Another element that could be considered in the body image disturbance is body weight dissatisfaction, which refers only to the body’s weight-related visual appearance, showing the evaluation discrepancy reported by subjects [19]. Studies on these elements are growing in the last decades [21] but results are still preliminary in the sexual minority population
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