The purpose of this study was to investigate the complexities of body satisfaction and maladaptive relationships with food as it related to ethnic identity for college-aged African American women. I explored how maladaptive relationships with food may be moderated by ethnic identity (Rogers-Wood & Petrie, 2010), and associated with concerns for body image ideals (Capodilupo & Kim, 2013; Cheney, 2011;) or concerns related to health (Di Noia et al., 2009; Rich & Thomas, 2008). The sample consisted of 189 undergraduate and graduate African American women at a southeastern university in the United States, with a mean age of 22.87. Analyses of correlations suggested that maladaptive eating was associated with low body satisfaction and high concerns for appearance. Findings also suggested that higher levels of ethnic identity were associated with lower levels of body satisfaction. Body satisfaction was inversely related to body mass index. There was no significant relationship between ethnic identity and maladaptive eating. Higher levels of ethnic identity were associated with lower levels of health consciousness. Body image satisfaction and concerns for appearance were positively correlated with health consciousness. Multiple regression analyses indicated significant moderating effects of ethnic identity only for the relationship between maladaptive eating and health consciousness. Ethnic identity moderated the relationship between maladaptive eating and health consciousness particularly for women with low levels of ethnic identity, while accounting for body mass index and body image concerns. Clinical implications for addressing body image concerns, maladaptive eating, and concerns about health with African American women are discussed.

No description available.

Fat talk refers to the negative, evaluative conversations that women have with each other about their bodies (e.g., "I'm so fat!"). These comments are often driven by negative self-evaluations and engaging in fat talk leads to negative health-related outcomes for the individual. Grounded in confirmation theory, the current research sought to uncover the role of communication in moderating the relationship between fat talk and health-related outcomes (i.e., mental health, body image, and weight management) by focusing on perceptions of both dysfunctional and functional responses to fat talk. Participants were young adult female friendship dyads (N = 239 dyads) who completed a number of measures including fat talk, depression, bulimia, drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction, dieting, and exercise. Statistical analyses included multilevel modeling and actor partner interdependence modeling. Results revealed that fat talk was associated with most of the health-related outcomes, even after controlling for BMI and different responses from a friend. Engaging in excessive conversations about weight with a friend (i.e., co-rumination) was positively associated with bulimia, drive for thinness, and body dissatisfaction. Showing warmth and attentiveness during conversations about weight (i.e., acceptance) was associated with lower levels of depression and bulimia. Pushing a friend to change her thoughts and habits (i.e., challenge) was associated with lower levels of body dissatisfaction. None of the interaction terms yielded significant results, indicating that responses to fat talk (either positive or negative) did not moderate the relationship between fat talk and the health-related outcome variables. This research highlights the importance of understanding fat talk as a communication process that may be driven by and result in intra-individual outcomes.

This study examined the influence of acculturation on disordered eating attitudes and behaviours of Afro-Caribbean women living in Canada. 134 Afro-Caribbean women, aged 18-35 years, completed an online questionnaire evaluating body satisfaction, two indices of acculturation, adaptation and maintenance, and disordered eating attitudes and behaviours. One domain of acculturation, Canadian cultural adaptation, was found to moderate the relation between body satisfaction and disordered eating: Those who most strongly identified with Canadian culture had the strongest relation between body dissatisfaction and disordered eating and attitudes. Disordered eating attitudes and behaviours were reported most often in individuals with high Canadian cultural adaptation and identification with Canadian values. Suggestions for further research and clinical implications are discussed

Negative effects of oophorectomy (castration, or removal of the ovaries) on a woman's sexual functioning, mood and body image have been documented in previous studies, but these studies did not measure vaginal blood flow and often did not include a non-surgical control group. Five groups of women aged 35 to 55 years were studied, a non-surgical control group (CTL), a hysterectomy-only group (TAH, at least one ovary intact) and three oophorectomy groups: an untreated group (BSO), women on estrogen-replacement therapy (ERT) and women on androgen-estrogen replacement therapy (HRT). The interview/questionnaire assessed mood, body image and sexual functioning (sexual desire, arousal, orgasm, interpersonal sexual activities). In a second session completed by 58 and 129 subjects (45%), a vaginal photoplethysmograph measured vaginal blood flow in response to an erotic stimulus while subjects concurrently monitored subjective arousal. Overall, the BSO and ERT groups had significantly lower self-reported desire and arousal. Body image as measured by a new scale, 'body comfort', was significantly poorer in the BSO group. The hysterectomy groups had more sexual problems than the control group. Further, about a third of the CTL group reported positive changes in body image and sexuality in the previous 5 years. This effect was attenuated in the TAH, HRT and ERT groups and almost absent in the BSO group. No significant group differences were obtained however, on mood, or vaginal blood flow and subjective arousal to an erotic stimulus. Vaginal blood flow and subjective arousal were significantly correlated. The possibility that these findings may be due to differential levels of testosterone in the various groups is discussed.

I tidigare forskning visas ett samband mellan framställningen av kvinnor i media och kvinnors självbildsuppfattning. Studier har även gjorts med fokus på män där ett samband mellan media och mäns självbild visas. Studien avser undersöka om det finns ett samband mellan medias framställning av ideala modeller och unga vuxnas syn på kroppslig självbild, samt hur mediaanvändning skiljer sig mellan könen och om användningen har en effekt på kroppslig självbild. En enkätundersökning med 90 deltagare (43 kvinnor och 47 män) i ålder 18-30 utfördes. Deltagarna fick fylla i en internetenkät med antingen ideala bilder, alldagliga bilder eller en enkät utan bilder. Mätinstrumentet som används är The Body Self Esteem Scale. Inget signifikant resultat gavs kring effekten av bildexponering, däremot hittades signifikanta skillnader mellan könen på olika BES-Items, däribland lår, vikt och midja. Det förväntade mönstret återspeglade sig i resultatet, om än inte signifikant. I resultatdiskussionen diskuteras studiens svagheter såsom den korta exponeringen av bilderna.

No description available.

Weight perception discrepancy, the difference between a person’s medically classified weight status and their weight status as classified by their body mass index, is a growing problem. Such misperceptions of weight may be a barrier to treatment for weight-related health conditions. Youth who are overweight, but do not feel they are, may be less likely to initiate treatment which places them at a higher risk for many obesity related health conditions. Similarly, youth who are underweight, but do not feel they are, may be at risk for negative health conditions. Social Comparison Theory may provide a tool for evaluating identified discrepancies. Given that minorities have higher obesity rates, it is hypothesized that weight perception discrepancy is higher among these groups as the comparison is with a heavier than normal peers it may be skewed. This study used the Center for Disease Control’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System from 2009 to evaluate weight perception discrepancy among Caucasian, African American and Latino youth. Multinomial logistic regression was used to evaluate discrepancies between these groups. Findings indicated that weight perception discrepancy varied by both gender and ethnicity. Females were more likely to over-estimate their weight category and Latino and African American males were more likely to under-estimate their weight category. Caucasian males were used as the comparison group for all estimations. Social Comparison Theory may provide a plausible explanation for the weight perception discrepancy differences identified for both minorities and females.

This thesis offers an exploration of the discourse of weight control and examines how its concepts and goals are incorporated into the way people perceive and understand the self and others. The central focus is an analysis of the nexus between weight control and concerns surrounding ‘excess’ weight. The analysis reveals the way discourses on the balanced body, the normalised body, the healthy body, the natural body and the transformative body generate varying understandings of the normal, weight-controlled body and overweight body and in turn, how they give rise to different weight watching practices. It shows how the different ways of viewing the body also engender various visualisations of the subjects of weight control. It is argued the discourse of weight control is not put into effect by subjugation but through the generation of a personal desire to be slender and weight-controlled. As such, the central inquiry of the thesis also gives consideration to the impacts which discourses of weight control might have upon individuals in the constitution of self and identity. A sub-theme of the analysis is a consideration of the possibilities people have to engage with the discourse of weight control, in particular those who are considered overweight. Particular attention is paid throughout to the relationship between women and weight control. The findings are predominantly based upon content analysis of a broad range of primary texts including medico-scientific texts, historical material, policy and public health documents, and popular written and audiovisual media. The research is also informed to a less extent by participant observation at two weight loss centres and by semi-structured in-depth interviews with 13 women considered ‘overweight’ by current standards.

Thesis (M.S.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Psychology, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.