Gender and ethnic differences in body image and opposite sex figure preferences of rural adolescents

This study examined whether rural adolescents would report gender and ethnic differences in body image similar to those that have been observed in urban samples. Data were analyzed for 384 rural adolescents (57% African American, 43% Caucasian, mean age 13 years) to determine gender and ethnic differences in body dissatisfaction, body size discrepancy, and current and ideal figure ratings. Females wanted to be smaller and reported more body dissatisfaction than did males. Caucasian females reported the most body dissatisfaction. African Americans reported larger current and ideal figure ratings than did Caucasians. African Americans preferred larger opposite sex figures than did Caucasians. Both African American and Caucasian males selected a larger female figure as ideal than was selected by females. Results demonstrated that gender and ethnic differences exist in body image for rural adolescents. This frequently overlooked population may benefit from further study. Implications of findings and limitations of the study are also discussed.     

Self-schema and social comparison explanations of body dissatisfaction: a laboratory investigation

The current study was an investigation of the self-schema and social comparison theories of body dissatisfaction. The social comparison manipulation consisted of exposure to one of three levels of comparison figure: upward, downward, or no comparison. Two different imagery exercises served to prime either a participants’ appearance self-schema, or a non-appearance schema. Participants completed state measures of body image and mood at pre- and posttest. Results indicated no significant interaction between priming and social comparison and no significant main effect for priming. However, there was a significant effect of social comparison, such that those in the downward comparison condition showed an increase in body satisfaction and positive mood. Results are discussed in the context of self-schema theory and social comparison, and suggestions are given for future research that might further shed light on these theoretical approaches for understanding body dissatisfaction.     

Investigation of ethnic differences in body image between Hispanic/biethnic-Hispanic and non-Hispanic White preadolescent girls

The extent to which the construct of body image is measurement invariant across ethnic groups is an important consideration for studies examining ethnic differences and characteristics that influence body image disturbances. However, the literature examining the body image construct as a function of ethnic group membership is limited. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether Hispanic/biethnic-Hispanic and non-Hispanic White preadolescent girls (aged 8 through 12 years old; N = 141) had fundamentally different conceptualizations of body image in a low to low/middle socioeconomic status school-based sample. Our findings suggest that the measurement construct of body image was similar and relatively stable for Hispanic/biethnic-Hispanic and non-Hispanic White preadolescent girls. In addition, the body image construct was predictably related to disordered eating symptoms in both groups, with different dimensions of body image differentially predictive by ethnic group. Overall, body image appears to be a meaningful construct with similar measurement meanings across Hispanic/biethnic-Hispanic and non-Hispanic White ethnic groups.     

Gaming magazines and the drive for muscularity in preadolescent boys: a longitudinal examination

The development of a drive for muscularity among boys has been linked to various cultural influences, one of which is exposure to mass media depicting the muscular male body ideal. We sought to determine whether self-reported exposure to four ideal-body magazine genres (health/fitness, fashion, sports, and gaming) predicted an increased drive for muscularity 1 year later. A sample of 104 Black and 77 White preadolescent boys (mean age 8.77) participated in a 2-wave longitudinal panel study. Controlling Wave 1 grade, perceived thinness/adiposity, and drive for muscularity, exposure to video gaming magazines predicted a significant increase in Wave 2 drive for muscularity, but only for White boys. Discussion calls for the inclusion of video gaming magazine exposure measures in future research on print media and male body ideals, along with empirical exploration of racial themes in gaming magazines.     

Absence of perceptual segmentation in image generation by normals

We used kanji characters (Chinese ideographic characters) and hiragana characters (Japanese phonographic characters) in the transfer‐appropriate processing paradigm to examine whether or not people without brain damage conduct perceptual segmentation while generating a visual mental image. Ninety‐six participants were divided into three study conditions: (a) seeing hiragana characters and generating a mental image of the corresponding kanji characters; (b) seeing the kanji characters; and (c) seeing the hiragana characters without generating the image of the kanji characters. Generating an image of a kanji character did not transfer at test to the decision as to whether the visually presented kanji character was vertically segmented or not, whereas it did transfer to a semantic decision as to whether the kanji character had a concrete or abstract meaning. Seeing a kanji character transferred to both decisions. Seeing hiragana characters without generating an image of the kanji characters transferred to neither decision. These results suggest that perceptual segmentation is not routinely conducted by normals in the process of image generation.     

雇主品牌结构与求职倾向关系

利用重新修订非特指行业的雇主品牌量表,以求职倾向为因变量,通过两个有递进关系的研究,证实不仅雇主品牌结构的功能特征正向影响求职倾向,雇主品牌结构的象征特征与求职者追求的理想自我形象一致性也正向影响求职倾向,表明人们求职时既注重满足个人物质利益的雇主品牌功能特征,也关注求职企业雇主的特征风格与自我理想形象的契合。     

大学生体像烦恼与恋爱压力——自尊的中介作用*

采用青少年体像烦恼量表、自尊量表和大学生恋爱压力量表对550位大学生进行调查,建立体像烦恼、自尊和恋爱压力的结构方程,考察自尊在体像烦恼和恋爱压力之间的中介作用。结果发现：（1）大学生体像烦恼、自尊和恋爱压力之间相关显著;（2）大学生体像烦恼对自尊和恋爱压力都有显著的预测作用,对自尊的预测是负向的,对恋爱压力的预测是正向的;（3）自尊在体像烦恼和恋爱压力之间起到部分中介作用（效应值为0.417）,即体像烦恼直接对恋爱压力产生影响,也可通过自尊间接影响恋爱压力。     

Validation and predictive utility of the Sociocultural Attitudes Toward Appearance Questionnaire for Eating Disorders (SATAQ-ED): internalization of sociocultural ideals predicts weight gain

A widely used measure of societal influences on body image and eating disturbances—the Sociocultural Attitudes Toward Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ) was validated in women with eating disorders. The original SATAQ and measures of convergence and divergence were administered to 165 eating disordered inpatients. Factor analyses were conducted to determine the underlying structure of the SATAQ. Convergent validity, diagnostic category norms and the predictive utility of the revised SATAQ were examined. Factor analyses indicated three factors: Internalization, Awareness, and Success. Internalization significantly predicted treatment success after controlling for admission BMI and drive for thinness. The revised SATAQ-ED measures multiple aspects of societal influence, predicts short-term outcome, and can be a useful tool for evaluating potential outcome and treatment efficacy.     

Self-reported interference with academic functioning and eating disordered symptoms: associations with multiple dimensions of body image

A sample of 1583 undergraduates completed a multidimensional measure of body image (Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire, MBSRQ) and a new scale, the Eating and Body Image Disturbances Academic Interference Scale (EBIDAIS). All five subscales of the MBSRQ were related to higher levels of self-reported interference with academic functioning in correlational analyses. For the entire sample, a regression revealed that only the appearance orientation subscale of the MBSRQ did not explain unique variance associated with EBIDAIS scores. A few gender differences emerged when separate regressions were conducted, however, overweight preoccupation was the variable that predicted the largest unique variance for both genders. The results suggest that academic interference should be considered as a possible variable when evaluating the social and occupational problems associated with body image disturbance.     

Implications of accuracy, sensitivity, and variability of body size estimations to disordered eating

The current study was conducted to investigate the relationships between body size estimations and disordered eating symptomatology. The method of constant stimuli was used to derive three measures of self-perceived body size in 93 women: (1) accuracy of body size estimations (body image distortion); (2) sensitivity in discriminating body size within blocks of trials (body image sensitivity); and (3) variability in making body size estimations between blocks of trials (body image variability). Participants also completed measures of disordered eating. Although body image distortion correlated with dietary restraint and eating concern, body image variability accounted for additional variance in these variables, as well as variance in binge eating. The relationships involving body image variability were found to be mediated by body dissatisfaction and internalization of the thin ideal. Together, these results are consistent with the proposition that body image variability is a significant factor in disordered eating.