A comparison of body perceptions in relation to measured body composition in young Japanese males and females

The body composition of 139 Japanese females and 84 Japanese males (aged 18–30 years) was measured using anthropometry to assess gender differences in body perceptions in relation to their measured values. Participants were asked to rate perceptions of their own “heaviness” and “fatness” and these were compared to their BMI and percent body fat (%BF). Japanese females showed a significantly greater desire to lose body weight (−4.20 ± 0.6 kg) compared to males (0.27 ± 1.4 kg). Females also showed poor understanding of their “heaviness” and “fatness” in relation to actual body composition compared to males. The results confirmed distinct gender differences in body perception in relation to actual body composition and attitudes to weight management. Further promotion of “healthy” body image is recommended for the Japanese population.     

Cultural differences in body dissatisfaction: Japanese adolescents compared with adolescents from China,Malaysia, Australia,Tonga, and Fiji

Cultural influences on the body image of 133 female and 99 male Japanese adolescents aged 12–18 years (M = 15.9, SD = 1.2) were compared to those of a databank of 1233 female and 1149 male adolescents also aged 12–18 years (M = 14.9, SD = 1.5) from five cultures – Chinese, Malaysian, Australian, Tongan, and indigenous Fijian – surveyed previously using identical body image measures (Fuller‐Tyszkiewicz et al., 2012). Japanese adolescents reported the highest levels of body dissatisfaction despite possessing among the lowest body mass index (BMI) and also reported among the highest levels of media influence on their body image. Subsequent path analyses revealed that for Japanese adolescents cultural identification with modern Japanese values were associated with increased body dissatisfaction, and that this association was mediated by level of media influence. These results highlight the importance of cultural influences, as well as individual differences in cultural values, in shaping Japanese adolescents' body image.     

Body image importance and body dissatisfaction among indigenous Australian adolescents

Despite their elevated risk of health problems and a propensity to be more overweight or underweight relative to the other members of the Australian population, there has been no previous investigation of body image concerns among Indigenous Australians. In this study we investigated the level of body image importance and body image dissatisfaction among 19 rural Indigenous adolescents (7 males, 12 females) and 28 urban Indigenous adolescents (15 males and 13 females). Our hypotheses that there would be gender differences in body image importance and body image satisfaction were not generally supported. However, males placed more importance on muscle size and strength than females, and rural participants placed more importance on weight than urban participants. Comparison to existing data obtained from Caucasian adolescents suggested that Indigenous youth may be less concerned and dissatisfied with body weight and shape. These results are discussed in relation to findings from studies of non-Indigenous adolescents, and Indigenous health issues. The limitations of the current study and the need for further studies are also discussed.     

A clinical trial of continuous, intermittent and overlearning ‘bell and pad’ treatments for nocturnal enuresis

Sixty-one enuretic children were allocated sequentially to ‘standard’, ‘intermittent’ or ‘overlearning’ bell and pad treatment. The results suggest that the ‘overlearning’ modification of standard treatment was successful in bringing about a reduction in the relapse rate. The present status and implications of research into nocturnal enuresis were discussed in the light of the results of the investigation.     

Body size estimation in eating disorder patients: Testing the video distortion method on a life-size screen

The video distortion method on a life-size screen is a new method for studying eating disordered patients' estimations of their own body width. Testing this method in female patients (53 with anorexia nervosa, 38 with bulimia nervosa) and 36 normal females, yielded high to very high reliability scores (consistency and test-retest stability). A careful analysis of the ‘just noticeable difference’ showed that a 5% deviation from the undistorted image should be considered as within the range of accuracy. Taking this into account, anorectic patients appear to score below, above, as well as within the normal range. Bulimia nervosa patients are either accurate in their body estimations or overestimate their body width. All control Ss are correct in their estimations. With this method no significant differences were found between the anorectic patients and the controls. Bulimics differ significantly from anorectics and controls on their optative responses (i.e. what they wanted to look like) and their affective responses (i.e. what they felt they looked like).     

Children''s self-initiated approach to spiders

Seventeen school children were invited to stay in the presence of a harmless spider for 4 minutes under instructions which were designed mildly to encourage touching the spider but which left open a clear alternative of not touching. Subjects confronted the spider in dyads which differed in composition in terms of fear-level and sex of subjects. The main finding was that boys did not show any more approach when paired with girls, thus confirming previous negative findings in this regard. Other findings were that boys showed more approach than girls, level of fear interacted with sex of subject, and ‘fearless’ but not ‘fearful’ subjects showed more approach with repeated experience.     

Initial examination of the validity and reliability of the female photographic figure rating scale for body image assessment

The present study reports on the reliability and validity of an improved body image assessment scale, namely the female Photographic Figure Rating Scale (PFRS). This scale consists of ten photographic images of real women varying in body mass index (BMI) from emaciated to obese. The PFRS was designed to overcome many of the limitations associated with line-drawn figures that are currently in use, including a lack of realism and poor ecological validity. Based on a sample of 208 adult women, the results of the present study showed that the PFRS had good validity in that all images were correctly rank-ordered by BMI. In addition, construct validity was supported by the finding that current self-ratings of body size based on the PFRS were significantly correlated with participants’ BMI and that body dissatisfaction was negatively correlated with positive body image. Finally, test–retest reliabilities showed that the PFRS remained stable after a three-week interval. The discussion focuses on the strengths and limitations of the PFRS in relation to existing scales used in body image assessment.     

Death anxiety in Japan and Australia

This study compared death anxiety ratings as measured by the Templer Death Anxiety Scale (Templer, 1970) in 121 Japanese and 139 Australian subjects. Japanese subjects had significantly higher death anxiety scores than their Australian counterparts. Australian women scored significantly higher than Australian men, but no sex differences were found in the Japanese sample. A slight but statistically significant positive correlation was found between age and death anxiety scores. This study contradicted other research that indicated that Eastern cultural attitudes mitigated anxiety about death. These findings are discussed in relation to the complex relationship between culture and death anxiety as well as in relation to problems inherent in our current conception of death anxiety.     

Variable preferences for sexual dimorphism in stature (SDS): Further evidence for an adjustment in relation to own height

In contemporary Western populations, some physical characteristics are sexually dimorphic, and it is known that these traits also affect human mate preferences. Height is one such characteristic, and evidence suggests that females prefer taller over shorter males, indeed, taller males have been found to have greater reproductive success. However, relative height is also important with ‘Sexual Dimorphism in Stature’ (SDS) calculated as male height/female height. Pawlowski (2003) showed that people adjust their preferences for SDS in relation to their own height in order to increase their potential pool of partners. The aim of the present study was to replicate Pawlowski’s study on a larger sample of participants, and to investigate the universality of the reported preference adjustment within European societies. We present data of 1102 men and women from three countries (Germany, Austria, and the UK) that confirm Pawlowski’s original data on a Polish sample. Moreover, the mechanism of an adjustment of SDS preferences in relation to own height was found in all three countries, suggesting that height dependent partner preference is a genuine feature in Western societies.     

Aetiology of spider phobia: classificatory differences between two origins instruments

The origins of fear of spiders was investigated in 33 spider phobic Ss entering a treatment study. All Ss completed Menzies and Clarke's (1993a) Origins Questionnaire (OQ) (Behaviour Research and Therapy, 31, 355–365) and Öst and Hugdahl's (1981) Phobic Origins Questionnaire (POQ) (Behaviour Research and Therapy, 19, 439–447). The results for the individual questionnaires were similar to those reported in previous studies. However a comparison of assignments of origin category for the two questionnaires showed widely discrepant results. The POQ returned 17 positive responses for classical conditioning, the OQ only 2. By contrast the OQ returned 10 origins as ‘non-conditioning traumatic event’, 9 of which returned positive responses for classical conditioning on the POQ. A further 15 Ss on the OQ were categorised as ‘always been this way’, the preponderance of these being classified as vicarious or informational in origin on the POQ. The POQ does not have a specific question or category for non-associative acquisition of phobias. The results of the origins assignments are detailed and their relation to the structure and questions of the questionnaires is outlined. Past studies using the POQ have produced results supporting acquisition of a substantial proportion of phobias by classical conditioning. The findings of this study suggest that such results mainly reflect inherent bias in that instrument.     

Visual enhancement of touch and the bodily self

We experience our own body through both touch and vision. We further see that others’ bodies are similar to our own body, but we have no direct experience of touch on others’ bodies. Therefore, relations between vision and touch are important for the sense of self and for mental representation of one’s own body. For example, seeing the hand improves tactile acuity on the hand, compared to seeing a non-hand object. While several studies have demonstrated this visual enhancement of touch (VET) effect, its relation to the ‘bodily self’, or mental representation of one’s own body remains unclear. We examined whether VET is an effect of seeing a hand, or of seeing my hand, using the rubber hand illusion. In this illusion, a prosthetic hand which is brushed synchronously—but not asynchronously—with one’s own hand is felt to actually be one’s hand. Thus, we manipulated whether or not participants felt like they were looking directly at their hand, while holding the actual stimulus they viewed constant. Tactile acuity was measured by having participants judge the orientation of square-wave gratings. Two characteristic effects of VET were observed: (1) cross-modal enhancement from seeing the hand was inversely related to overall tactile acuity, and (2) participants near sensory threshold showed significant improvement following synchronous stroking, compared to asynchronous stroking or no stroking at all. These results demonstrate a clear functional relation between the bodily self and basic tactile perception.     

Cross‐cultural,population‐based study on adolescent body image and eating distress in Japan and Finland

This cross‐sectional population‐based survey compares the prevalence of self‐reported body image and eating distress symptoms among adolescents in Japan and Finland, and associations between emotional/behavioral problems, body image and eating distress from a cross‐cultural perspective. The study included 1,840 Japanese and 1,135 Finnish 8th grade students. The self‐reported questionnaire included the Body Image and Eating Distress Scale and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The female adolescents from both Finland and Japan reported much greater dissatisfaction with, and concern about, their bodies than the males and Japanese females expressed even higher distress than Finnish females. High levels of body image and eating distress were associated with psychiatric problems measured with the SDQ. There was a significant three‐way interaction effect of body image and eating distress, gender and country with SDQ peer problems and prosocial behavior.     

Panic attacks without fear: An overview*

‘Non-fearful panic disorder’ (NFPD) is a condition that meets DSM III-R criteria for panic disorder but lacks a report of subjective fear or anxiety. Presenting the first comprehensive overview of this issue, the authors describe studies investigating a wide range of apparently overlapping phenomena including NFPD, ‘somatically expressed panic’, ‘non-cognitive panic’, ‘alexithymic panic’, ‘non-clinical panic’, and ‘masked anxiety’. The review shows that such conditions account for from 20 to 40% of the panic disorder found in various medical populations, and that this group resembles conventional panic disorder in cross-sectional comparisons. We emphasize that a ‘triple-response’ model of anxiety is consistent with our conclusion that NFPD should be conceptualized as a panic disorder subtype. Finally, we discuss unresolved issues regarding the construct and predictive diagnostic validity of NFPD.     

More historical dimensions of commonsense knowledge: Spiritual consolation for the depressed

Ss were given 15 propositions derived from the neoclassical canon of advice on spiritual consolation for the depressed and were asked either to rate the extent of their personal agreement with each and to predict the average ratings for the group, or to say whether they regarded each proposition as ‘true’ or ‘not true’ and to predict the percentage of the group that would choose ‘true’ for each proposition. The observed and mean predicted rank orders were compared within and between methods; all correlations were high, positive, and significant. The results suggest that people's higher-order ideas about other people's ideas include notions about the intensity of beliefs as well as about the proportion of believers. Contemporary developments of those propositions which a clear majority of the present Ss endorsed are discussed.     

Sociocultural influences on adolescent boys' body image and body change strategies

Society provides messages about how people should ideally look and previous research has indicated these messages, both the actual messages provided and the perception of the message, influence body image. Research into male body image has shown males are concerned with having a lean and muscular body and as such, may want to decrease fat and increase their muscles. This paper explored the influence of a range of messages from parents, peers, and the media on a number of different measures of 362 adolescent boys’ body image and body change strategies. Specifically, messages about shape, food, exercise, losing weight and increasing muscles were explored in relation to satisfaction with weight and muscles, and the use of strategies to decrease weight and increase muscles. The findings indicated that parental messages were the strongest influence on body image and that parents, the media, and to a lesser extent messages from male friends were the strongest predictors of body change strategies.     

Influence of weight loss therapy programs in body image self-perception in adults with intellectual disabilities

Some studies suggest that people with intellectual disabilities (ID) might show distortions regarding body image self-perception. The objectives of this study were to investigate whether people with ID could correctly identify their body image and to determine if participating in a weight loss therapy program (WLTP) influenced in any way that perception. For that purpose, an experiment was proposed and all along a weight loss therapy program, a comparison between a body image subjective measure, as the Stunkard scale, and an objective one, as body mass index, was performed. The results obtained showed that individuals with ID (n = 24) perceived in a wrong way their body image before any intervention program (58%). After applying the WLTP for ten weeks, an accentuation in this perception distortion (83%), mostly related with underestimation, was observed with respect to actual body mass index values. The strongest conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that people with ID do not correctly identify their body image. Furthermore, participating in WLTP influences their physical self-concept perception in the way that controlling two variables, as exercise and caloric restriction, causes greater disruption in that perception than controlling only one of them.     

What Difference Can a Year Make? Changes in Functional and Aesthetic Body Satisfaction Among Male and Female Adolescents Over a Year

The current study explored changes in functional and aesthetic body satisfaction among Australian adolescents over a year. Data were collected from 1,342 Australian adolescents (567 males, 775 females) across two grade cohorts (Grades 8 and 10) at Wave 1 (W1; mean age = 13.7) and again 12 months later at Wave 2 (W2). Participants' functional and aesthetic body satisfaction, body mass index (BMI), and relative pubertal timing were measured. Body image change was explored across both grade cohort and gender, controlling for differences in BMI change and relative pubertal timing. Females reported lower overall (functional and aesthetic) body satisfaction than males. Participants reported higher functional and aesthetic body satisfaction at W1 than W2. Although both males and females reported a significant decrease in body satisfaction over the 12‐month period, this decrease was stronger among female participants. ^?Cohort differences were also found with older adolescents reporting lower functional body satisfaction.     

Prevention of depressive symptoms in school children

This paper describes the development and preliminary efficacy of a program designed to prevent depressive symptoms in at-risk 10–13 year-olds, and relates the findings to the current understanding of childhood depression. The treatment targets depressive symptoms and related difficulties such as conduct problems, low academic achievement, low social competence, and poor peer relations, by proactively teaching cognitive techniques. Children were identified as ‘at-risk’ based on depressive symptoms and their reports of parental conflict. Sixty-nine children participated in treatment groups and were compared to 73 children in control groups. Depressive symptoms were significantly reduced and classroom behavior was significantly improved in the treatment group as compared to controls at post-test. Six-month follow-up showed continued reduction in depressive symptoms, as well as significantly fewer externalizing conduct problems, as compared to controls. The reduction in symptoms was most pronounced in the children who were most at risk.     

Gender differences existing in the general population in relation to body dissatisfaction associated with the ideal of beauty: a systematic review / Diferencias de género existentes en la población general en relación a la insatisfacción corporal asociada al ideal de belleza: una revisión sistemática

Abstract

Body dissatisfaction has been studied extensively due to its relationship with issues such as eating disorders, mainly in the female and adolescent population. However, it seems that there are differences in the type of body dissatisfaction that females and males manifest with respect to their body image. On this basis, the objective of this work was to review systematically the studies published from 2010 to July 2018 into gender differences in body dissatisfaction associated with the ideal of beauty in the general population. A total of 18 studies were selected from the MeSH/PubMed, Dialnet and DOAJ databases. The results obtained from the studies analysed showed that the female population continues to show greater body dissatisfaction associated with the ideal of beauty compared to the male population. However, the manifestation of body dissatisfaction is expressed differently for men and women.