Differences In Body Satisfaction Research Articles

One fit(spiration) for all? Gender differences in body satisfaction.

One fit(spiration) for all? Gender differences in body satisfaction.

Supplemental Material for One Fit(Spiration) for All? Gender Differences in Body Satisfaction

Supplemental Material for One Fit(Spiration) for All? Gender Differences in Body Satisfaction

Effect of body satisfaction on online impulse purchase behavior of young people

Purpose: This research aims to determine the effect of body satisfaction on impulse purchase behaviour and to detect differences in body satisfaction and impulse buying behaviour according to demographic factors. Materials and Method: The data were collected from 346 students educating different departments at a foundation university in Mersin. The survey method was used and analyzed with path analysis, independent samples t-test, and one-way ANOVA. Results: The positive effect of body satisfaction was observed on impulse buying behaviour. And differences in body satisfaction and impulse buying behaviour were investigated according to gender and monthly budget. Body satisfaction differs by gender, while impulse buying behaviour to a monthly budget. Conclusion: Purchase behaviour tends to increase when body satisfaction increases. Body satisfaction is higher among male students, and the purchase behaviour of students with a high monthly budget is more.

A short-form drama series created for the digital media environment: A randomised controlled trial exploring effects on girls’ body satisfaction, acceptance of appearance diversity, and appearance-related internalised racism

‘Edutainment’ micro-interventions are a scalable public health strategy that can challenge media-related body image pressures and race- and weight- based stigma. This study evaluated the impact of viewing a brief, theoretically-informed, short-form drama episode on Black and non-Black adolescent girls’ body image, acceptance of diversity of appearance (assessed by acceptance of an individual in a larger body and a Black individual), and appearance-related internalised racism (among Black girls only). The fictional drama depicted characters of diverse body sizes and race/ethnicities, with each episode focusing on a risk or protective factor for body image concerns among adolescent girls (e.g., appearance-related teasing and conversations). Participants (N = 686; 50.4 % Black, 49.6 % non-Black) aged 13–18 (Mage = 15.72 years) were randomly allocated to view either the first episode of this series (focused on social media’s unrealistic appearance ideals and strategies to resist pressures) or a non-body-image-related control video. Findings revealed no significant differences in body satisfaction between conditions but significant improvements in the acceptance of appearance diversity among all girls who viewed the body image episode. Black girls who viewed this episode experienced significant improvements to appearance-related internalised racism. Edutainment micro-interventions constitute a promising avenue for promoting acceptance of appearance diversity and reducing appearance-related internalised racism.

Interoceptive sensibility and body satisfaction in pregnant and non-pregnant women with and without children

Pregnancy is a time of great physical and psychological change. As well as prominent changes in the external appearance of the body, such as the baby bump, there are also substantial changes taking place within the body. Our awareness of, and attention towards, internal bodily signals (interoception) is thought to have a direct impact on how we feel about our bodies. Therefore, understanding how our experience of these interoceptive signals might change during pregnancy may have important implications for maternal wellbeing. This study examined body satisfaction and interoceptive sensibility (subjective experience of interoception) in pregnant and non-pregnant women with and without children. Feelings towards pregnancy-specific changes in body satisfaction and interoceptive sensibility were also examined in women in their first pregnancy (primigravida) and subsequent pregnancies (multigravida). It was found that pregnancy did not directly impact levels of body satisfaction, instead pregnant and non-pregnant women with children reported less satisfaction with their bodies compared to those without children. Primigravida women were more satisfied with the appearance of pregnancy specific bodily changes compared to multigravida women. Interestingly, these differences in body satisfaction in those with children (pregnant and non-pregnant) were mediated by the extent to which women trusted their bodies (measure of interoceptive sensibility). All other pregnancy related changes in interoceptive sensibility and body satisfaction were either non-significant or had small effect sizes. These results may suggest body trust as an important factor to support during the transition to parenthood in order to improve body satisfaction in mothers.

The impact of different responses to negative body talk on body satisfaction, shame, and future negative body talk likelihood: A UK sample

A recent online experiment found that, following a negative body talk induction task, receiving a response of ignoring the comment, compared with reassuring, reciprocating, and challenging, led to worse body satisfaction and socio-emotional outcomes for Australian women. The current online study aimed to replicate and extend this study by examining the effects of these four negative body talk responses on body satisfaction, shame, and future negative body talk likelihood in UK-based women. Participants (N = 156, Mage = 25.29, SDage = 5.64, rangeage = 18–40) recalled a scenario in which they engaged in negative body talk and were randomly assigned to receive one of four responses. Contrary to hypotheses, there were no significant differences in body satisfaction, shame, or future negative body talk likelihood across the four groups. Preferred negative body talk response data were mixed, with challenge and reassurance responses preferred at comparable rates, and just under a quarter of participants preferring a response outside of the original four. Possible explanations, including that the responses used in the original Australasian study may not perfectly correspond with UK women’s experiences of social interactions and heterogeneous motivations for engaging in negative body talk necessitate more nuanced and sophisticated responses, are explored.

Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design.

For most people, body satisfaction is crucial to develop both a positive self-concept and self-esteem, and therefore, it can influence mental health and well-being. This idea has been tested with younger people, but no studies explore whether body image interventions are useful when people age. This research validates a specific program designed for older people (IMAGINA Specific Body Image Program). This is done by employing a mixed experimental design, with between-subject and within-subject comparisons that focus on body satisfaction before and after experimental treatment, comparing two groups. Using this experimental methodology makes it possible to identify the effect of the intervention in a group of 176 people. The score obtained with the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) was the dependent variable, and the IMAGINA program was the independent one. As for age, gender, relationship status, season, and residence environment, these were controlled variables. There were significant differences in body satisfaction between the two programs, obtaining better results with IMAGINA. The controlled variables had a much less significant effect than the treatment. Therefore, it is possible to improve body satisfaction in older adults through interventions similar to the one presented here.

Measuring body satisfaction in women with eating disorders and healthy women: appearance-related and functional components in the Body Cathexis Scale (Dutch version)

PurposeDifferentiating the concept of body satisfaction, especially the functional component, is important in clinical and research context. The aim of the present study is to contribute to further refinement of the concept by evaluating the psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the Body Cathexis Scale (BCS). Differences in body satisfaction between clinical and non-clinical respondents are also explored.MethodExploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to investigate whether functional body satisfaction can be distinguished as a separate factor, using data from 238 adult female patients from a clinical sample and 1060 women from two non-clinical samples in the Netherlands. Univariate tests were used to identify differences between non-clinical and clinical samples.ResultsEFA identified functionality as one of three factors, which was confirmed by CFA. CFA showed the best fit for a three-factor model, where functionality, non-weight, and weight were identified as separate factors in both populations. Internal consistency was good and correlations between factors were low. Women in the non-clinical sample scored significantly higher on the BCS than women with eating disorders on all three subscales, with high effect sizes.ConclusionsThe three factors of the BCS may be used as subscales, enabling researchers and practitioners to use one scale to measure different aspects of body satisfaction, including body functionality. Use of the BCS may help to achieve a more complete understanding of how people evaluate body satisfaction and contribute to further research on the effectiveness of interventions focussing on body functionality.Level of evidenceCross-sectional descriptive study, Level V.

Discussion of Consumers’ Body Satisfaction: Focused on Purchasing Decision and Service Satisfaction

Clothing choice has been a way for consumers to express their individuality and the possibility to boost their self-esteem. Despite the amount of prior research conducted regarding body satisfaction and individuals clothing choices, little is known about consumers’ body satisfaction and its impact on their clothing purchasing decisions. Thus, this study tries to shed light on the relationship between consumers’ body satisfaction and its impact on their purchasing intentions. The objective of this study is to identify whether consumers’ body satisfaction would influence their service satisfaction at retail stores when service failure of wrong size clothing recommendations has occurred. Additionally, in this study, gender differences in body satisfaction and purchasing intention is tested. The research identifies that body satisfaction to service satisfaction and service satisfaction to purchasing intention have a direct relationship with each other. Body satisfaction and purchasing intention do not have a direct relationship with each other. Notably, this study also finds that body satisfaction is higher in males but presented no gender difference in purchasing intention after the service failure.

A comparison of demographic and socio-psychological characteristics of obese males according to degree of obesity

This study aims to explore the diverse characteristics of obese groups of Korean males in their 20’s to 40’s. A total of 201 males who each had a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 23 or over were recruited through a convenient sampling. Samples were categorized into groups of overweight, slightly obese, and severely obese, and submitted for data analysis. Results are summarized as follows. First, in terms of demographic characteristics, slightly and severely obese males were older than overweight males. There were also group differences in marital status and household income. Second, slightly and severely obese groups demonstrated a higher perception of obesity and a lower perception of health than did the overweight group. Third, there were no group differences in body satisfaction, socio-cultural attitudes toward appearance, and self-esteem. Based on these results, we concluded that overweight, slightly obese, and severely obese groups were distinguishable from each other in terms of their demographic characteristics, whereas the slightly obese group and the severely obese group were not different in terms of perception of obesity, perception of health, weight control behaviors, body satisfaction, body image, socio-cultural attitudes toward appearance, and self-esteem. These findings may reflect that people may not become increasingly sensitive to socio-psychological stimulations as they gain more weight if they have exceeded a certain level of obesity. This observation provides meaningful implications for the differences among obesity groups given the lack of prior research focusing on this issue.

중년여성의 피트니스 활동이 우울 및 외모만족도에 미치는 영향

The study aims at examining empirically the impact of physical exercise on depressive symptoms and body satisfaction in middle-aged women. In order to carry out this study, a survey was conducted with a random sample of 200 middle-aged women who live in Daejeon in South Korea and engaged in some physical activities. The results of survey revealed the followings. Firstly, middle-aged women’s average level of depression was 29.63, indicating a high level of depressive symptoms. In contrast, the average score of body satisfaction was 3.11, indicating a relatively low level of satisfaction. Secondly, I conducted an analysis that accounts for differences in the level of depressive symptoms by frequency and duration of physical exercise. The results revealed that those who frequently exercise were found to have lower depression scores than those who do not. Thirdly, the analysis that accounts for differences in body satisfaction by frequency and duration of physical exercise showed that those who frequently exercise were found to have higher body satisfaction scores than those who do not. The key findings of this study suggest that physical exercise has a positive effect on middle-aged women’s physical and physiological health. Physical exercise improves body satisfaction and reduces depressive symptoms which are the most prevalent mental disorder among middle-aged women.

A longitudinal investigation of overweight children's body perception and satisfaction during a weight management program

Background: The Children's Body Image Scale (CBIS) is a measure of body perception and satisfaction. Obesity has a negative impact on children's body satisfaction. This study aimed to (1) determine the construct validity of the CBIS in a purely overweight/obese sample, and (2) explore longitudinal changes in body perception and satisfaction in overweight/obese children participating in a six month weight management program delivered to parents. Data were self-reported by overweight/obese 5 to 9 year old children (n = 127) over a 36 month period. Findings: The CBIS demonstrated good construct validity (Rho: range 0.38 to 0.71, p < 0.05). Accuracy in body size perception did not alter significantly over time (Rho: range 0.45 to 0.59, p < 0.001). No consistent differences in body satisfaction by age or sex were observed. Body satisfaction improved after the six month weight management intervention (mean difference = 0.74, 95% CI 0.15–1.26) which was maintained at 36 month follow up. Conclusion: The CBIS is a useful measure to monitor overweight/obese children's body satisfaction. In this cohort, it is suggestive that the child weight management program delivered to parents did not impact negatively on children's body satisfaction.

Gender and race matter: The importance of considering intersections in Black women’s body image.

Traditionally, body image literature has used race as a variable to explain ethnic-specific differences in body satisfaction and the prevalence of eating disorders. Instead of employing race as an explanatory variable, the present study utilized a qualitative method to explore the relationships among race, ethnicity, culture, discrimination, and body image for African American and Black women. The purpose of the study was to gain a deeper understanding of how race and gender interface with and inform body image. Women were recruited through community centers in a major metropolitan city and represented a diversity of ethnicities. In total, 26 women who identified racially as Black (mean age = 26 years) participated in 6 focus groups, which explored body ideals, societal messages, cultural values, racism, and sexism. Narrative data from the focus groups were analyzed using grounded theory. The central category, Body/Self Image, was informed by perceptions of and feelings about not only weight and shape but also hair, skin, and attitude. Three additional categories, each with multiple properties, emerged: Interpersonal Influences, Experiences of Oppression, and Media Messages. These categories interact to explain the central category of Body/Self Image, and an emergent theory is presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).

Ethnic differences in perceptions of body satisfaction and body appearance among U.S. schoolchildren: a cross-sectional study.

BackgroundPerceived body appearance and body satisfaction are potentially related to weight problems and poor health. The purpose of this study was to examine how gender, and ethnic differences in body satisfaction, perceived body appearance and weight status change by age in a representative sample of U.S. adolescents 11–17 years old.MethodsWe used the US Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) 2001 survey which assessed perceived body appearance, body satisfaction, self-reported body mass index (BMI) and socio-demographic indicators. The associations between age and perceived appearance, age and body satisfaction, and between z-transformed BMI and body satisfaction were analyzed using separate non-parametric regression models for both genders and the three ethnic groups.ResultsBody satisfaction did not vary significantly by age except for an increase with age in the proportion of Non-Hispanic White girls who perceived themselves as too fat. Although boys did not report being too fat unless their BMI was above the age- and gender-specific median, one third of Non-Hispanic White girls felt too fat at or below the age- and gender-specific median. Compared to other ethnicities, African-American students’ perceived appearance was significantly more positive and they were less likely to perceive themselves overweight at higher BMI scores. However, during adolescence, the positive self-reported perceived appearance of African-American boys dropped substantially while it remained relatively stable in African-American girls.ConclusionsThere were substantial differences in body satisfaction and perceived appearance across the three largest ethnic groups of school-age children in the U.S. Stability across age indicates that these perceptions are most likely established before the age of 10 and underline the importance of primary schools and parents in prevention. Special attention should be directed to the dramatic loss of positive perceived appearance among African-American boys.

Relationships Between Body Satisfaction and Psychological Functioning and Weight-Related Cognitions and Behaviors in Overweight Adolescents

To examine how differences in body satisfaction may influence weight control behaviors, eating, weight and shape concerns, and psychological well-being among overweight adolescents. A group of 103 overweight adolescents completed a survey assessing body satisfaction, weight control behaviors, eating-related thoughts and behaviors, importance placed on thinness, self-esteem, anger, and symptoms of depression and anxiety between 2004 and 2006. Logistic regression analyses compared overweight adolescents with high and low body satisfaction. Higher body satisfaction was associated with a lower likelihood of engaging in unhealthy weight control behaviors, less frequent fears of losing control over eating, and less importance placed on thinness. Overweight adolescents with higher body satisfaction reported higher levels of self-esteem and were less likely to endorse symptoms of depression, anxiety, and anger than overweight adolescents with lower body satisfaction. Adolescents with higher body satisfaction may be protected against the negative behavioral and psychological factors associated with overweight.

Gender Differences in Body Satisfaction: An Examination of Familial and Individual Level Variables

This study investigated gender differences in body satisfaction in college students. Participants (195 males and 340 females) self-reported weight and height (in order to calculate BMI). In addition, attachment (to mother and father), dieting behaviors, perceived parental control, global self-worth, and body satisfaction were measured and examined in relation to satisfaction with one's body. Lower BMIs were associated with a higher degree of body satisfaction and higher self-worth scores among females, but male scores were not related to BMI. Regression analysis revealed that psychological correlates, such as attachment to mother and father, parental control, and eating attitudes demonstrated a unique association among variables in prediction of body satisfaction for each gender. Implications for clinicians and researchers are discussed.

한국과 몽골 여대생의 실제체형과 인지체형 및 신체만족도에 관한 비교

This study compares the body sizes of Korean and Mongolian female college students, their perceptions about body size, and body satisfaction based on similar cultural backgrounds. The subjects consisted of 164 Korean students and 171 Mongolian students from March to April, 2008. The age range was 17 to 22 years. We directly measured the body sizes of subjects and examined by questionnaire the degree of body cathexis, perceived body size, and ideal body size. Both Korean and Mongolian college students have similar body measurements but Korean college students have smaller heads, broader and slopped shoulders, and thinner arms and legs. There were insignificant differences in perceived body size for both groups; in particular they perceived that their lower body is fat or thick. However, there were differences in body satisfaction. Both groups had the lowest satisfaction rate for their lower bodies; but in all items, Korean college students had a lower body satisfaction rate than Mongolian college students even though they have thinner arms and legs. Finally, the ideal body style for both groups was a skinny body type, but Korean students preferred a much thinner body type. The body satisfaction rate is greatly affected by the ideal body than the actual body.

The UCLA Body Project I: Gender and Ethnic Differences in Self-Objectification and Body Satisfaction Among 2,206 Undergraduates

This study examined whether objectification theory is useful for understanding gender, body mass, and ethnic differences in body satisfaction among 2,206 US undergraduates who completed a body image survey. Women reported lower body satisfaction than men (d = .37) and this was true across the majority of the BMI continuum. Very slender men, however, were less satisfied than very slender women who approached the female thin-ideal. Differences in body satisfaction among White, Asian, and Hispanic participants were small to moderate (ds = .18 to .45). Consistent with the prediction that self-objectification has particularly negative effects on women who deviate from the slender White ideal, the association between body dissatisfaction and appearance surveillance was strongest for heavier and minority women.

The Thick and the Thin of It: Contextual Effects in Body Perception

This research investigated how and when exposure to different body contexts alters body ideals used in judgment. University students judged the width and pleasantness of human figures, with context manipulated by presenting mostly narrow or mostly wide forms. In Experiment 1, silhouettes were presented simultaneously on the page. In Experiment 2, figures were presented successively on a computer screen as detailed pictures. In both experiments, width ratings were consistent with A. Parducci's (1995) range-frequency theory, which predicted the same figure is judged thinner in the wide context. Pleasantness ratings were well described by an ideal-point model that used a gaussian similarity function, with the ideal shifting to a narrower width in the narrow context. The assimilative shifts in ideals with mere exposure to a small set of contextual stimuli supports the hypothesis that mass media presentations of ultrathin individuals may lead women to adopt a "thin ideal" in judging themselves and others. Although exposure to narrow or wide sets of figures had no consistent effect on measures of body satisfaction, individual differences in body satisfaction were related to ideal-point shifts. Women who were dissatisfied with their own bodies consistently used thin ideals to judge body images and were insensitive to the contextual manipulation of body image.

Body image and psychosocial differences among stable average weight, currently overweight, and formerly overweight women: the role of stigmatizing experiences

Substantial research has compared obese and nonobese persons on body image and psychosocial adjustment. While differences in body satisfaction are often observed, the literature is less clear on other dimensions. Extant differences are typically thought to result from the social stigmatization and maltreatment experienced by obese persons, especially females. The present study of 165 women compared three cohorts who were currently overweight, never overweight, or formerly overweight. Relative to never-overweight women, currently overweight women reported more body dissatisfaction/distress, overweight preoccupation, and dysfunctional appearance investment, as well as more binge eating, lower social self-esteem, and less satisfaction with life. Consistent with the “phantom fat” phenomenon, formerly overweight women were comparable to currently overweight women but worse than never-overweight women on overweight preoccupation and dysfunctional appearance investment. Correlations confirmed that, among overweight but not formerly overweight women, more frequent stigmatizing experiences during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood were significantly associated with currently poorer body image and psychosocial functioning. Scientific and clinical implications of the findings are discussed.