Body Image Constructs Research Articles

Body image, self-esteem, and behavioral risk for chronic disease among college students: Additional evidence for integrated prevention

Objective: To examine associations between two body image constructs (body appreciation and body satisfaction) and five health behaviors (diet, physical activity, weight management, tobacco exposure, and alcohol intake) associated with risk for chronic disease, controlling for self-esteem. Participants: Three hundred and forty-four college students enrolled at a large, public university in the southeastern US. Methods: Students completed an online survey composed of measures of body appreciation, body satisfaction, self-esteem, and frequency of engagement in preventive health behaviors. Hierarchical linear regression models were used to assess relationships between constructs. Results: Body appreciation, but not body satisfaction or self-esteem, significantly and positively predicted engagement in diet-, physical activity-, and weight-related health behaviors. No associations were found for substance use outcomes. Conclusions: Results illuminate health risks among college students and provide additional evidence to support the development of holistic preventive interventions that simultaneously address aspects of mental and physical health among college students.

#bodypositivity: A content analysis of body positive accounts on Instagram

In the last decade, the body image literature has begun to extend beyond a primary focus on body image disturbances and examine the construct of positive body image. Similarly, “Body positivity” is a growing social media trend that seeks to challenge dominant societal appearance ideals and promote acceptance and appreciation of all bodies and appearances. The present study provides a content analysis of body positive posts on Instagram. A set of 640 Instagram posts sampled from popular body positive accounts were coded for physical appearance-related attributes and central themes featured. Results showed that body positive imagery typically depicted a broad range of body sizes and appearances. Additionally, while a proportion of posts were appearance-focused, the majority of posts conveyed messages aligned with theoretical definitions of positive body image. This study clarifies body positive content on Instagram, as well as highlights points of overlap and distinction from academic principles of positive body image and other appearance-focused social media content. Accordingly, the results offer theoretical and practical implications for future research and prevention efforts.

Femininity, masculinity, and body image in a community-based sample of lesbian and bisexual women

ABSTRACTThis study expands the literature on body image among lesbian and bisexual women by examining the relationship between self-perceived gendered personality traits and expressions (i.e., sense of self in relation to cultural constructions of femininity and masculinity) and body satisfaction, a key body image construct. We used data from Wave 3 (2010–2012) of the Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women (CHLEW) study. The CHLEW includes a novel measure of gender expression, with masculinity and femininity as distinct but overlapping constructs. In the large analytic sample (N = 553), we found both similarities and differences in the association between femininity/masculinity and body image in lesbian and bisexual women. Bisexual women reported significantly lower body satisfaction than lesbian women. Higher masculinity was associated with greater body satisfaction in the full sample, but the association was stronger for bisexual than lesbian women. Femininity was positively associated with body satisfaction only for bisexual women. These findings suggest that masculinity and femininity play different roles in body satisfaction for lesbian and bisexual women and highlight the importance of disaggregating sexual identity in studies of sexual minority women’s health. Clinicians should routinely ask about sexual identity and gender expression, especially when presenting concerns involve body image or disordered eating.

Body image predictors of depressive symptoms in adolescence

IntroductionDepression rises significantly in adolescence, with females reporting twice the prevalence of males into adulthood. In accordance with cognitive vulnerability theories, eating and weight-related disturbances have been implicated in this increase, but a broader assessment of body image constructs within this framework is needed. MethodsThe current prospective study examined body importance, body dissatisfaction, and body change strategies to lose weight and increase muscularity as predictors of depressive symptoms over one year in N = 298 adolescents in Canberra, Australia (at Time 2, the sample comprised n = 161 female adolescents, Mage = 15.36 years, SD = 1.10; n = 137 male adolescents, Mage = 15.54 years, SD = 1.15). The moderating role of sex was also assessed. Results & conclusionsResults revealed that body importance and body change strategies to increase muscularity explained significant variance in depressive symptoms beyond baseline covariates of depressive symptoms and stress, with the effect of body importance relevant in female but not male adolescents. The findings support the use of more comprehensive assessments of body image constructs to inform cognitive vulnerability theories of adolescent depression, and corresponding prevention and intervention programs.

Conceptualization of body image in the bariatric surgery patient

Bariatric (weight loss) surgery is more popular than ever. The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery in 2016 reported that 216,000 bariatric procedures were performed in the United States. Bariatric surgery has major physiological benefits; its use is expected to increase globally. However, patients may not anticipate the profound impact that rapid and massive weight loss may have on their body image after bariatric surgery. The construct of body image in this population needs to be explicated to facilitate continued research regarding this increasingly prevalent healthcare procedure. This article describes the formulation of a model of relevant concepts and dimensions within the construct of body image in the bariatric surgery patient. In the process of creating the model, we identified many factors influencing body image in patients before and after bariatric surgery, summarized eight measures, and developed a new definition based on prior work. Theoretical considerations are discussed. The long-term objective of this model building approach is to encourage researchers and clinicians to test the feasibility of systematic clinical measurement of body image at office visits before as well as multiple times after bariatric surgery.

The relative associations of shape and weight over-evaluation, preoccupation, dissatisfaction, and fear of weight gain with measures of psychopathology: An extension study in individuals with anorexia nervosa

Recent research has demonstrated that certain components of body image (i.e., shape and weight over-evaluation, preoccupation, and dissatisfaction) in secondary school students shared a distinct clinical significance because of their differential relation to measures of psychopathology. The present study aimed to replicate and extend on these findings by examining the distinctiveness of these body image constructs, in addition to a fear of weight gain, in individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN)—a disorder this is facilitated and maintained by extreme body image concerns. Treatment-seeking females with AN (n = 124) completed a questionnaire battery that measured these constructs. Findings demonstrated that once any shared variance between body image components was removed in regression analyses, fear of weight gain was the only unique predictor of eating disorder psychopathology (e.g., dietary restraint and compulsive exercise), while over-evaluation and preoccupation were the only unique predictors of general psychopathology (e.g., depressive and anxiety symptoms). Overall, these findings demonstrate certain components of body image may operate differently in AN, and reinforce previous calls to consider and assess for distinct facets of body image in this population.

Body image flexibility: A predictor and moderator of outcome in transdiagnostic outpatient eating disorder treatment.

Predictors of attrition and predictors and moderators of outcome were explored in a transdiagnostic sample of patients who received ten-session cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-T) for nonunderweight eating disorders. Body image flexibility, a protective positive body image construct, was hypothesized to be a significant moderator. Data from two case series were combined to form a sample of 78 participants who received CBT-T. Baseline measures of body image, negative affect, personality, and motivation (readiness to change and self-efficacy) were included as potential predictors. Global eating disorder psychopathology at each assessment point (baseline, mid- and post-treatment, 1- and 3-month follow-up) was the outcome variable. Predictors of attrition were assessed using logistic regression, and multilevel modeling was applied for predictors and moderators of outcome. Body image flexibility emerged as the strongest predictor and moderator of global eating disorder psychopathology, followed by body image avoidance. Body checking, negative affect, personality beliefs, and self-efficacy were significant predictors of global eating disorder psychopathology. Higher body image flexibility predicted lower global eating disorder psychopathology at every assessment point. Further research is required to replicate findings and explore the benefit of focusing on positive body image in treatment.

Form and formulation: Examining the distinctiveness of body image constructs in treatment-seeking patients with binge-eating disorder.

Body-image disturbance is a core aspect of eating disorders, yet the clinical manifestations of individuals' weight and shape concerns are complex, vary considerably, and are poorly understood by clinicians and researchers. This study aimed to distinguish different aspects of body-image disturbance-including weight/shape dissatisfaction, weight/shape overvaluation, weight/shape preoccupation, and fear of weight gain-in patients with binge-eating disorder (BED). Examining how each specific body image construct relates to biopsychosocial features of BED could contribute to the refinement of conceptualization and treatment planning. The current study assessed body-image disturbance and eating-disorder psychopathology in 748 treatment-seeking patients with BED using established investigator-based interviews reliably administered by doctoral clinicians. The 4 body image constructs, although related to one another, showed some important similarities in associations with biopsychosocial clinical features, as well as some important distinctions. The relation between overvaluation and self-esteem was, as conceptualized, more strongly negative than for other body image variables, and preoccupation was more associated than other body image variables with eating concerns. Biopsychosocial features of BED were associated with different forms of body-image disturbance, but associations of body image variables with body mass index (BMI) were not significant and associations with binge-eating frequency did not differ across body image variables. Manifestations of body-image disturbance in BED are complex and understanding the distinctions between different body image constructs can contribute to treatment formulation. (PsycINFO Database Record

The importance of body image concerns in overweight and normal weight individuals with binge eating disorder

Body image concerns in binge eating disorder (BED) have been examined almost exclusively in overweight individuals with BED. The current study extends past research by including overweight and normal weight BED and non-BED groups to assess the multifactorial construct of body image using subscales of the Eating Disorder Examination 16.0 (EDE-16.0) and a Body Comparison Task. Independent of weight status and when controlling for age and race, women with BED are distinguished from those without BED by significantly greater overvaluation of shape and weight on the EDE-16.0 and significantly reduced weight satisfaction after a Body Comparison Task. Both BED diagnosis and weight status were independently associated with Weight Concern and Shape Concern subscales on the EDE-16.0. Taken together, these data provide further support for the consideration of body image concerns in the diagnostic criteria for BED.

Cognitive fusion: Maladaptive emotion regulation endangering body image appreciation and related eating behaviours

Body image-related cognitive fusion is described as the perception that undesired and distressing internal events related to body image are reliable representations of reality. This maladaptive emotion regulation process is known for its impact on human suffering, namely eating psychopathology. On the contrary, body appreciation is a positive body image construct, defined as an attitude of acceptance and affection toward one's body image characteristics, despite some level of dissatisfaction. Although body appreciation associates negatively with several pathogenic processes, its relationship with body image-related cognitive fusion is still unexplored. The present study intended to analyse the power of body image related cognitive fusion regarding its impact on body appreciation, and also on the engagement in disordered eating. The study's sample comprised 308 women, aged between 18 and 35. A path model tested the mediator role of body image related cognitive fusion in the relationship between body image dissatisfaction and body appreciation, and eating disorders symptomatology, controlled for the effect of body mass index.The tested model accounted for 67% of the variance of disordered eating. Body image related cognitive fusion appeared as a significant mediator of the association between body dissatisfaction and body appreciation. Body appreciation presented a significant direct effect on eating disorders symptomatology. These findings highlight the disturbing effect of cognitive fusion related to body image on the construction of a positive body image, presenting an impact on the engagement in disordered eating. In this line, cognitive fusion may be a pertinent target in clinical practice and also within eating disorders prevention.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Body image construct of Sri Lankan adolescents

“Body image” is more than the visual perception of size and it is probably multidimensional. It is known to influence eating behaviors and self-esteem of adolescents. Although widely studied in developed countries, it has been studied little in Sri Lanka. This study was designed to translate and culturally adapt a tool to assess dimensions of body image in Sri Lankan adolescents. The study was carried out in the Anuradhapura District on school going children in grades nine to eleven. A multidimensional body image questionnaire was translated to Sinhalese language using the nominal group consensus method. The translated version was administered to 278 (114 boys) students after content validation and pre-testing. To assess test-retest reliability, the same questionnaire was administered to the same sample after two weeks. Psychometric properties were assessed using exploratory factor analysis. Three-factor model emerged when dimensions in body image were analysed. Both boys and girls had almost identical factor structure. The three dimensions identified were “affective body image”, “body perception” and “orientation on body size”. All factors had good internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha > 0.76 and explained more than 56% of the total variance in both sexes. The translated body image questionnaire was a valid and reliable tool which can be used in Sri Lankan adolescents. Both genders had a similar, multidimensional body image construct.

Re-conceptualización del constructo de imagen corporal desde una perspectiva multidisciplinar

El presente artículo realiza de manera sistemática un repaso de las principales conceptualizaciones que existen del constructo de imagen corporal desde diferentes disciplinas como la filosófica, psicológica, sociológica e incluso la Educación Física. Dicho análisis argumenta la unificación terminológica de términos como cuerpo, corporeidad, corporalidad, identidad corporal, autoconcepto, capital corporal y esquema corporal. Y ofrece una re-conceptualización propia del constructo.

Impact of Immigration on Native and Ethnic Consumer Identity via Body Image

This research focuses on consumer identity of two under-researched but growing immigrant communities in Australia via the lens of the body image construct. Consistent with an emerging stream of research, body image is viewed as a part of identity. Given the variety of goods and services that have an impact on consumers’ perceptions of their body, and because consumers use products to create and convey desired identities, body image is also viewed as a part of consumer identity. Considering literature on identity, body image, and acculturation, exploratory research was undertaken to determine the impact of immigration on the identities of both immigrants and natives. Specifically, focus groups were conducted on two generations of Filipino- and Indian-Australian women as well as Anglo-Australian women. It was found that second generation immigrants have dual consumer identities where they balance the values, attitudes and lifestyles of both their home (i.e., native or heritage) and host cultures whereas first generation immigrants tend to retain their native consumer identity even if they appear to adopt values, attitudes, and lifestyles of the host culture. The impact of immigrants on consumer identities of native residents who are typically in the majority (i.e., the Anglo group) was not evident. Theoretical and practical implications including recommendations for marketing practitioners are then discussed followed by suggestions for future research.

“You have to be slim!” Epiphanies: Body image construction in middle-aged women

This paper explores the experiences that influenced the construction of body image and the adoption of body change strategies in Mexican women of middle-age. A qualitative study was conducted on eight women (35–50 years old). The data were collected through an individual semi-structured interview, and other two methodological tools: the lifeline and the family tree. Information was gathered during four working sessions lasting two hours each and subsequently transcribed verbatim. The analysis revealed experiences that marked the women's lives, called epiphanies. These epiphanies included: divorces, separations, comments regarding their bodies, parents concerned about their weight (either their own or their daughters’) and messages promoting slenderness as a means of achieving both personal and professional success since childhood. The findings of this research show that body dissatisfaction not only affects teenagers and young women, but also middle-aged women. Continuing with this type of research will also make it possible to define the elements that contribute to the prevention of body dissatisfaction and risky eating behaviors.

Fat Talk and Body Image Disturbance

Although the link between fat talk and body dissatisfaction is well established, the link between fat talk and other body image disturbance components remains underexplored. Our meta-analytic review explored the cross-sectional, experimental, and longitudinal relations between fat talk and body dissatisfaction, body surveillance, body shame, pressure to be thin, thin-ideal internalization, body checking, and appearance-based comparisons. We identified 35 relevant studies via electronic databases. Meta-analyses provided effect size estimates based on study design and whether fat talk was the predictor or outcome of body image disturbance. Results showed that fat talk is related to a broader range of body image constructs than just body dissatisfaction and that accumulated evidence from longitudinal and experimental studies—although limited in number—suggests it is more plausible that fat talk is a risk factor for these body image constructs, rather than a consequence of them. Nevertheless, the suggestion that fat talk may play a role in the causal sequence of body image issues highlights this as a potential area of intervention for researchers and clinicians. Given that fat talk is common and often well intentioned, awareness-raising exercises for parents and peers may be necessary to curb its incidence and impacts. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/page/pwq/suppl/index .

Disentangling body image: The relative associations of overvaluation, dissatisfaction, and preoccupation with psychological distress and eating disorder behaviors in male and female adolescents.

ABSTRACTObjectiveThe distinctiveness and relative clinical significance of overvaluation, dissatisfaction, and preoccupation with body weight/shape remains inconclusive. This study sought to add to the evidence by testing associations between these three body image constructs and indicators of clinical significance.MethodMale and female secondary students (N = 1,666) aged 12–18 years completed a survey that included measures of dissatisfaction with, overvaluation of, and preoccupation with weight/shape, psychological distress, eating disorder behaviors, and basic demographic information. Conditional process analysis was employed to test the independent and mediating effects of overvaluation, dissatisfaction, and preoccupation on distress, dietary restraint, and objective binge eating.ResultsOvervaluation, dissatisfaction, and preoccupation were highly correlated (r = 0.47–0.84). In girls, preoccupation demonstrated the strongest independent and mediating effects on distress, dietary restraint, and binge eating; whereas neither the direct or indirect effects of dissatisfaction on distress and overvaluation on binge eating were significant. Among boys however, the direct and indirect effects of overvaluation, dissatisfaction, and preoccupation on distress and eating disorder behaviors were relatively equal.DiscussionPreoccupation with weight/shape may be particularly clinically significant in girls, whereas all constructs of body image disturbance may be equally clinically significant in boys. The findings are consistent with the view that these constructs, while closely related, are distinct. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.(Int J Eat Disord 2017; 50:118–126)

Fat talk and its relationship with body image disturbance

Although past studies have highlighted fat talk as relevant to body image disturbance, the majority of these have only investigated the link between fat talk and body esteem, to the exclusion of other body image constructs. One hundred and ninety-nine women completed an online survey measuring levels of appearance-based comparisons, body surveillance, thin ideal internalization, body esteem, and fat talk (FT-body concerns and FT-body comparisons). Results showed that fat talk made a significant contribution in explaining additional variance in body esteem above the other three body image factors, with FT-body concerns in particular making the highest unique contribution. Hierarchical regression analyses suggest that fat talk should be viewed as an independent psychosocial predictor of body esteem in both theoretical and therapeutic contexts. Future research should explore these relationships from a longitudinal perspective, and also clarify the nuances in the relationships by investigating the nature of women's everyday body image experiences.

The Relationship Between Body Image and Domains of Sexual Functioning Among Heterosexual, Emerging Adult Women.

IntroductionResearch suggests that body image affects sexual functioning, but the relationship between specific types of body image (evaluative, affective, and behavioral) and domains of sexual functioning (desire, arousal, and orgasm) has not been investigated.AimTo determine whether, and to what degree, body image concerns (evaluative, affective, and behavioral) influence aspects of women’s sexual functioning (desire, arousal, and orgasm).MethodsEighty-eight sexually active women in heterosexual romantic relationships completed surveys assessing evaluative, affective, and behavioral body image and sexual functioning. Body composition data also were collected using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry.Main Outcome MeasuresSexual functioning was assessed using the desire, arousal, and orgasm subscales of the Female Sexual Functioning Index.ResultsHierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that poor evaluative, affective, and behavioral body image were detrimental to women's sexual functioning. Specifically, dissatisfaction with one's body predicted decrements in desire (β = −0.31, P < .05) and arousal (β = −0.35, P < .01). Similarly, feeling that others evaluate one's body negatively predicted decrements in desire (β = 0.22, P < .05) and arousal (β = 0.35, P < .01). Feeling negatively about one’s appearance predicted decrements in arousal (β = 0.26, P < .05). Negative thoughts and feelings about one’s body during a sexual encounter (body image self-consciousness) predicted decrements in arousal (β = −0.37, P < .01) and orgasm (β = −0.25, P < .05).ConclusionFindings from this study suggest important linkages between body image and sexual functioning constructs and indicates that interventions to improve body image could have concomitant benefits related to sexual experience.

Sociocultural experiences, body image, and indoor tanning among young adult women.

The purpose of this survey study was to evaluate a model of body image influences on indoor tanning behavior. Participants were 823 young adult women recruited from a probability-based web panel in the United States. Consistent with our hypothesized model, tanning-related sociocultural experiences were indirectly associated with lifetime indoor tanning use and intentions to tan as mediated through tan surveillance and tan dissatisfaction. Findings suggest the need for targeting body image constructs as mechanisms of behavior change in indoor tanning behavioral interventions.

Body Image and Quality-of-Life in Untreated Versus Brace-Treated Females With Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.

Study Design.The Bracing in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Trial (BrAIST) included skeletally immature high-risk patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) with moderate curve sizes (20°– 40°). BrAIST was a multicenter, controlled trial using both randomized and preference treatment arms into either an observation group or a brace treatment group.Objective.The aim of this study was to analyze and compare body image and quality-of-life (QOL) in female AIS patients who were observed or treated with a brace.Summary of Background Data.Brace treatment is an effective means for controlling progressive scoliosis and preventing the need for surgery, but there is no consensus regarding the effect of brace treatment on body image or on QOL in adolescents with AIS.Methods.Data from female BrAIST patients in the randomized (n = 132) or preference (n = 187) arms and were observed (n = 120) or brace treated (n = 199) were analyzed. Patients completed the Spinal Appearance Questionnaire (SAQ) and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQOL) 4.0 Generic Scales at baseline and 6 month follow-up visits up to 2 years. Items on the SAQ measured three body image constructs (self, ideal, and overall). The PedsQOL measured health, activities, feelings, social factors, and school.Results.. In general, there were no significant differences within or between study arms or treatments regarding body image or QOL through 2 years of follow-up. Poorer body image was significantly correlated with poorer QOL during the first 2 years of follow-up regardless of study arm or treatment. Patients who crossed-over to a different treatment and patients with largest Cobb angles ≥ 40 degrees had significantly poorer body image, in particular self-body image, compared with those that did not.Conclusion.This study does not support findings from previous research indicating that wearing a brace has a negative impact on or is negatively impacted by body image or QOL.Level of Evidence: 2