Examining Prospective Mediation Models of Body Surveillance, Trait Anxiety, and Body Dissatisfaction in African American and Caucasian College Women

Within dominant U.S. culture, the feminine body has been positioned as an object to be looked at and sexually gazed upon; thus, females often learn to view themselves from an observer’s perspective and to treat themselves as objects to be looked at (i.e., self-objectification). Self-objectification often results in negative outcomes, such as body dissatisfaction, among Caucasian samples, but the correlates and consequences of self-objectification among African Americans are less clear. Given that this construct may vary considerably across racial/ethnic groups, the current study considers how self-objectification affects both African American and Caucasian college women’s body dissatisfaction. This was assessed via two prospective mediation models that utilized bootstrapping techniques. In the first model, trait anxiety was tested as a mediator of the relation between body surveillance, the behavioral indicator of self-objectification, and body dissatisfaction; in the second model, body surveillance was examined as a mediator of the relation between trait anxiety and body dissatisfaction. Participants at Time 1 were 276 undergraduate women attending a Midwestern university in the U.S.; 97 (35%) described themselves as African American/Black, and 179 as Caucasian non-Hispanic/White; at Time 2, 70 African American females and 156 Caucasian females provided data. At these two time points, separated by about 5?months, participants completed the same set of questionnaires. Results indicated that the first mediation model was not significant for either group, but the second model was significant for the Caucasian women. Results provide some support for the differential effects of self-objectification on women’s body dissatisfaction depending on race/ethnicity.     

The UCLA Body Project II: Breast and Body Dissatisfaction among African, Asian, European, and Hispanic American College Women

Breast and global body dissatisfaction were examined in Asian (n = 237), European (n = 196), Hispanic (n = 109), and African (n = 58) American college women. Asian American women reported the lowest body satisfaction on the Appearance Evaluation Scale (Cash, T. F. The multidimensional body-self relations questionnaire users’ manual: 3rd revision, 2000) and greatest breast dissatisfaction on one of two breast dissatisfaction measures. Ethnic differences in breast dissatisfaction, but not in body dissatisfaction, disappeared when body size (BMI) was statistically controlled. Results were consistent with research showing that (1) ethnic differences in body dissatisfaction are small, (2) studies of ethnic differences must include appropriate controls for total or specific body size, and (3) Asian college women report lower global body satisfaction than women of African, European, or Hispanic heritage. For additional papers and information, please contact David Frederick at enderflies1@aol.com, visit his website at or contact Gordon B. Forbes at gforbes@millikin.edu.     

Beyond Thinness: The Influence of a Curvaceous Body Ideal on Body Dissatisfaction in Black and White Women

This study examined whether a curvaceous body ideal differentially influenced sources of body dissatisfaction in 116 Black and 222 White women at a northeastern U.S. university. We measured idealization of and dissatisfaction with three components of a curvaceous ideal: breast size, buttock size, and weight. Although most women preferred a curvaceous body shape, more White women preferred this ideal to be slender with medium breasts whereas more Black women preferred this ideal to be curvier with medium breasts and large buttocks. Women discrepant from these ideals reported more dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction with the curvaceous ideal predicted appearance concerns. Findings highlight the need to consider valued body ideals other than thinness as potential sources of dissatisfaction among women of different racial/ethnic backgrounds.     

"Outsider Within" the Firehouse: African American and White Women Firefighters

Prior findings regarding (a) the subordination of African American women firefighters through imposed exclusion, (b) expanded definitions of tokenism and workgroup composition, and (c) the omnirelevance of race/ethnicity in Black women's perceptions of work experiences are extended to White women firefighters. A nationwide sample of 24 White women firefighters completed a 20-page survey and 1 hr interview developed from these previous findings. Both groups experienced insufficient instruction, hostility, silence, hyper-supervision, lack of support, and stereotyping and supportive as well as strained relationships with coworkers. Specific enactments of these global commonalties often varied along racial/ethnic lines. The present data, which start with the experiences of Black women then examine the experiences of White women, model an important methodological approach for understanding difference.     

Depression,Sociocultural Factors,and African American Women

The authors discuss depression in African American women from a sociocultural perspective, including aspects of oppression and racism that affect symptom manifestation. The authors highlight John Henryism as a coping mechanism, the history and continuing role of the African American church as a safe haven, and strategies for culturally competent practice. Los autores discuten la depresión en mujeres Afroamericanas desde una perspectiva sociocultural, incluyendo los aspectos de opresión y racismo que afectan a la manifestación de los síntomas. Los autores destacan el John Henry‐ismo como mecanismo de afrontamiento, la historia y el papel constante de la iglesia Afroamericana como refugio seguro, y las estrategias para una práctica culturalmente competente.     

Individual,Interpersonal, and Sociostructural Factors Influencing Partner Nonmonogamy Acceptance among Young African American Women

In 2015 in the United States, the HIV diagnosis rate among African American women was 16 times that of White women, and HIV especially affected young African American women. African American women’s partnerships with nonmonogamous men may be one factor contributing to this disparity. Previous research has not adequately described factors influencing acceptance of partner nonmonogamy among African American women. To better understand this phenomenon, we interviewed 11 African American women aged 18–24 years-old who reported having sex in the past 3 months and reported knowing or suspecting a partner to have another female partner in the past 12 months. We employed a semi-structured interview guide designed to elicit in-depth, narrative responses from women about their partnerships. We used narrative analysis to interpret findings. Participants described factors that encouraged acceptance of partner nonmonogamy. These factors were social (i.e., limited partner availability, gender norms, and cultural norms), interpersonal (i.e., partner-specific comfort, sexual connection and emotional attachment, and casual partnership type), and intrapersonal (i.e., low self-esteem, loneliness, and fatalistic attitudes about nonmonogamy) in nature. The sociocultural context in which young African American women develop sexual partnerships may influence their attitudes, expectations, and behaviors within these partnerships and place them at increased risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.     

Religion and Spirituality among American Indian,South Asian,Black, Hispanic/Latina,and White Women in the Study on Stress,Spirituality, and Health

Social scientists have increasingly recognized the lack of diversity in survey research on American religion, resulting in a dearth of data on religion and spirituality (R/S) in understudied racial and ethnic groups. At the same time, epidemiological studies have increasingly diversified their racial and ethnic representation, but have collected few R/S measures to date. With a particular focus on American Indian and South Asian women (in addition to Blacks, Hispanic/Latinas, and white women), this study introduces a new effort among religion and epidemiology researchers, the Study on Stress, Spirituality, and Health. This multicohort study provides some of the first estimates of R/S beliefs and practices among American Indians and U.S. South Asians, and offers new insight into salient beliefs and practices of diverse racial/ethnic and religious communities.     

Worldviews of Women: Comparisons Between White American Clients,White American Counselors,and Chinese International Students

Worldviews of White American women clients, White American women counselors, and Chinese international women students were surveyed. Multivariate planned comparisons showed significant differences between (a) White American clients and White American counselors and (b) Chinese international students and White American counselors. Income was a significant predictor of worldviews for White American clients. Age and marital status contributed strongly to the worldviews of White American counselors. Among the Chinese students, the Taiwanese and the Mainland Chinese held significantly different worldviews. Worldviews of women are discussed from feminist as well as cross-cultural perspectives. Future directions for practice, research. and theory are suggested regarding the multicultural counseling process with clients of different worldview orientations.     

The Use of Self-Pleasure: Masturbation and Body Image among African American and European American Women

The current investigation examined the relationship between masturbation and body image among 96 women seeking services at a local family planning clinic in a mid-southern U.S. city. Participants completed a questionnaire that assessed body image and masturbatory practices. Ethnic differences were found with European American women reporting greater masturbation frequencies and higher rates of body dissatisfaction than African American women. Among European American women, there was a positive relationship between women's sexual self-pleasuring and positive body image. For African American participants, body image was not related to masturbation practice or frequency.     

Body Dissatisfaction,Need for Social Approval,and Eating Disturbances Among Japanese and American College Women

A total of 171 Japanese and 144 American collegewomen (90% European American, 4% African American, 4%Asian or Asian American, and 2% other) completed theEating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), the Body Dissatisfaction Subscale of the Eating Disorder Inventory(EDI), and the Revised Martin-Larsen Approval MotivationScale (MLAM). Japanese women expressed the greaterdissatisfaction with their body but no more eatingdisturbances than American women. The need for socialapproval predicted the Japanese women's eatingdisturbances after controlling for the effects of bodyfatness (BMI) and body dissatisfaction. BMI was asignificant predictor of eating disturbances for Americanwomen but not for Japanese women. The results werediscussed in terms of their implications forcross-cultural similarities and differences incorrelates of disordered eating.     

Family,School, and Peer Influences on Alcohol Abstinence and Use among American Indian and White Female Adolescents

This analysis is informed by social bonding, social learning, and self-control theories and is based on data collected between 2009 and 2013 in 27 school districts located in five U. S. regions. The sample (N = 2,140) includes female adolescents (7th–12th graders) who identified themselves as white or American Indian. In support of the social learning theory, pro-alcohol use definitions, association with peers who drink excessively, and the peers’ differential reinforcement of alcohol abuse are significant predictors of alcohol use in the racially integrated model. Conversely, when controlling for a selected group of predictors, one’s level of self-control and measures of social bond are no longer differentiating alcohol users from abstainers. Yet, additional mediation analyses show that the lack of family attachment, parental monitoring, and school attachment have significant indirect effects on alcohol use.     

Eating Disorders of White American,Racial and Ethnic Minority American,and International Women

Eating attitudes and behaviors related to anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and obesity of White American, African-American, Native American, and some international women are considered from the point of view of cultural influences such as sex role, the media, socioeconomic class, and acculturation to Western society.     

Racial Identity,African Self-Consciousness,and Career Decision Making in African American College Women

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among racial Identity, African self-consciousness, and career decidedness in 212 African American women classified as first year or senior at an historically Black university and a predominantly White university. It was hypothesized that senior women at both institutions would have higher levels of racial identity and African self-consciousness and would be more career decided than first year women. The findings provided partial support for the hypothesis.     

Generativity and Productive Pursuits: Pathways to Successful Aging in Late Midlife African American and White Women

The current study aims to examine correlates of successful aging in the context of midlife, by examining its relationship to generativity, or providing for the next generation (Erikson in Dimensions of a new identity: the 1973 Jefferson lectures in the humanities, W. W. Norton & Co., Oxford, 1974). This research identifies productive activities (e.g., paid work, sports and recreation) and spiritual commitment as potential moderators of the generativity–successful aging relationship, since engagement in these activities has been suggested to benefit health. Furthermore, we examine how these interactions differ for a sample of 237 middle-aged women (mean age = 61), depending on race. Results indicate that, whereas generativity and successful aging are related for the overall sample, this relationship is moderated by sports and recreation activities, and to a lesser extent, spiritual commitment. Importantly, spiritual commitment is associated with a positive relationship between generativity and successful aging, while sports and recreation is associated with a negative one. When viewed by race, spiritual commitment, and sports and recreation activities moderate the relationship specifically for White women, while paid work does so for Black women. This research highlights the importance of examining different pathways between generativity and aging successfully.     

Having Our Say: African American Women,Diversity, and Counseling

African American female counseling professionals contribute greatly to the multicultural growth of the counseling profession by spurring the profession's evolution and defining new paradigms and counseling activities. Despite their contributions, they face serious organizational, intrapersonal, and interpersonal challenges to their success in academia. This article seeks to elucidate the challenges to African American female counseling professionals and offers systemic and personal strategies that will facilitate the profession's evolution to culturally competent, ethical, and intentional helping orientations and worldviews.     

Modeling relationships among socioeconomic status, hostility, cardiovascular reactivity, and left ventricular mass in African American and White children.

In African American and White children and adolescents (N = 147), socioeconomic status (SES) was measured in 2 ways: (a) using neighborhood-level measures of population density, median income, educational attainment, and the number of children born to single mothers and (b) using family-level measures of parents' occupation and education. Structural equation modeling revealed that both lower family SES and lower neighborhood SES were independently associated with greater hostility and consequently greater cardiovascular reactivity to laboratory stressors in African Americans. Independent of neighborhood SES, only lower family SES was associated with greater cardiovascular reactivity in Whites. Heightened cardiovascular reactivity was associated with greater left ventricular mass (LVM) in Whites and marginally greater LVM in African Americans. Results suggest the importance of using multiple indicators of SES and confirm the relationship between SES and LVM in African Americans and Whites, albeit through different pathways.     

Partner Violence, Social Support, and Distress Among Inner-City African American Women

This study examined the role of social support in the partner violence–psychological distress relation in a sample of African American women seeking medical care at a large, urban hospital (n = 138). Results from bivariate correlational analyses revealed that partner violence was related to lower perceived social support and greater psychological distress, and lower social support was related to more distress. Furthermore, findings based on path analysis indicated that low levels of social support helped account for battered women's increased distress. Findings point to the need for service providers to screen for partner violence in nontraditional sites, such as hospital emergency rooms, and to address the role of social support resources in preventive interventions with African American battered women.